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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2007; 13(30): 4096-4099
Published online Aug 14, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i30.4096
Low-dose tenofovir is more potent than adefovir and is effective in controlling HBV viremia in chronic HBeAg-negative hepatitis B
Paolo Del Poggio, Maurizio Zaccanelli, Maria Oggionni, Silvia Colombo, Carlo Jamoletti, Vesna Puhalo
Paolo Del Poggio, Silvia Colombo, Carlo Jamoletti, Vesna Puhalo, Hepatology Unit, Treviglio Hospital (Bg), Italy
Maurizio Zaccanelli, Maria Oggionni, Blood Bank (Molecular Biology Section), Treviglio Hospital (Bg), Italy
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Paolo Del Poggio, Hepatology Unit, Treviglio Hospital, Piazza Ospedale 1, 24047 Treviglio (Bg), Italy. pdpoggio@ospedale.treviglio.bg.it
Telephone: +39-36-3424494 Fax: +39-36-3424561
Received: April 23, 2007
Revised: May 3, 2007
Accepted: May 28, 2007
Published online: August 14, 2007
Abstract

AIM: To study the efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) at low dose in a small open trial of chronic hepatitis B patients with advanced stage disease.

METHODS: Eleven patients were treated with TDF 75 mg for a median period of 80 (range, 24-576) wk and then 7 cases were shifted to an adefovir 10 mg treatment group. All patients had been pre-treated with lamivudine: 5 had YMDD resistant mutants and 6 wild-type virus. When TDF was started, 4 patients had low-level viremia and 6 were PCR-negative.

RESULTS: During TDF treatment, PCR remained negative in 10 patients, transaminase levels were normal and no significant viral breakthrough was observed. The drug was well tolerated in all cases. When TDF 75 mg was substituted with adefovir 10 mg, 3 out of 7 patients had a persistent viral rebound (2700-130 000 copies/mL), in whom lamivudine had to be reintroduced.

CONCLUSION: Low-dose TDF monotherapy can control HBV viremia for an extended period of time without the emergence of resistance and is more potent than adefovir at the standard dosage. The use of a reduced dose of TDF could diminish the cost of therapy in low-income countries, but further studies in a larger population and in HBeAg-positive subjects are needed.

Keywords: Tenofovir, Chronic Hepatitis B, Adefovir, Nucleotide analogues, Low-income countries