| REVIEW ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2006 | Volume
: 3
| Issue : 1 | Page : 14-34 |
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Telbivudine : A new treatment option in the management of chronic hepatitis B
James Fung, Ching-Lung Lai, Man-Fung Yuen
Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Republic of China
Correspondence Address:
Man-Fung Yuen
Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, Republic of China
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
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Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects over 350 million individuals worldwide. Chronic hepatitis B is associated with complications of end-stage liver disease, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Six drugs have been approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B: interferon-alpha, pegylated interferon-alpha, lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, entecavir and recently telbivudine. Most agents designed to target hepatitis B are hindered by the development of resistance, poor tolerability or limited efficacy; therefore, the search for new agents and treatment strategies continues. Telbivudine is the latest approved anti-HBV agent; it is an orally administered nucleoside analog that selectively inhibits HBV replication. It has demonstrated potent activity against HBV in clinical studies, with good tolerance, lack of mitochondrial toxicity and no dose-limiting side effects. This review focuses on telbivudine, the latest oral antiviral agent for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.
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