HBeAg levels at week 24 predict response to 8 years of tenofovir in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion is a treatment endpoint for HBeAg-positive CHB, and a necessary precursor to HBsAg loss. Biomarkers that predict serological outcomes would be useful. Aim: To evaluate the utility of measuring HBeAg levels for predicting HBeAg seroconversion and HBsAg loss under long-term tenofovir (TDF) therapy. Methods: A total of 266 patients were enrolled into a phase III study of TDF vs adefovir (ADV) for 48 weeks in HBeAg-positive patients, followed by open-label TDF up to 384 weeks. Serum HBeAg levels were measured for subjects with samples available at both baseline and week 24 of treatment (n = 200). Analysis compared subjects who achieved HBe..