Emerging therapies of hepatitis B and C

Abstract

The current approved treatments for HBV infection are IFN-α and lamivudine. There are many other potential therapeutic candidates including: new antiviral agents such as adefovir dipivoxil, L-FMAU, entecavir and emtricitabine. Nucleic acid based therapies such as antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes, dominant negative proteins and therapeutic vaccines are being developed and evaluated. Regardless of the availability of any of these newer agents, the ideal future approach to the treatment of HBV infections lies in combination therapy. The exact agents involved in the combination therapy will need to be assessed carefully by prospective controlled studies. The current recommended therapy for ..