ArticleAlimentary pharmacology & therapeutics2021
Hepatitis B virus RNA decline without concomitant viral antigen decrease is associated with a low probability of sustained response and hepatitis B surface antigen loss.
Article in Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 11 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Peginterferon Alfa-2a and Ribavirin Combination Therapy in Patients With HBeAg-negative Chronic HBV Infection (PARC Study)
Long Term Follow-up of Pegylated-Interferon Alpha-2b and Lamivudine Combination Therapy in Patients With Chronic HBV Infection
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hepatitis B Virus RNA as a Biomarker for Safe Antiviral Discontinuation: A Prospective Study of Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Withdrawal.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025Trial
- Review
- Hepatitis B Virus RNA Predicts Hepatocellular Carcinoma Despite Viral Suppression.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2026Article
- Dynamics of HBV biomarkers during nucleos(t)ide analog treatment: A 14-year study.Hepatology communications · 2025Article
- [Research progress of biomarkers of hepatitis B virus and clinical significance].Sheng wu yi xue gong cheng xue za zhi = Journal of biomedical engineering = Shengwu yixue gongchengxue zazhi · 2023Review
- End-of-treatment anti-HBs levels and HBeAg status identify durability of HBsAg loss after PEG-IFN discontinuation.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2023Article
- [Expert consensus on measurement and clinical application of serum HBV RNA in patients with chronic HBV infection].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2022Article
- Management and Treatment of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B: Towards Personalized Medicine.Viruses · 2022Review
- Advances in treatment and prevention of hepatitis B.World journal of gastrointestinal pharmacology and therapeutics · 2021Review
- Novel Biomarkers of Hepatitis B Virus and Their Use in Chronic Hepatitis B Patient Management.Viruses · 2021Review
- Hepatitis B virus RNA decline without concomitant viral antigen decrease is associated with a low probability of sustained response and hepatitis B surface antigen loss.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSerum hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA may reflect intrahepatic HBV replication. Novel anti-viral drugs have shown potent HBV RNA decline without concomitant hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) decrease. How this relates to off-treatment response is yet unclear.
aimTo study the degree of on-treatment viral antigen decline among patients with pronounced HBV RNA decrease in relation to off-treatment sustained response and HBsAg loss.
methodsHBV RNA, HBsAg and hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) were quantified in patients with chronic hepatitis B who participated in two randomised controlled trials of peginterferon-based therapy. Sustained response (HBV DNA <2000 IU/mL) and/or HBsAg loss were assessed in patients with and without on-treatment HBV RNA response (either >2 log HBV RNA decline or >1 log decline resulting in an undetectable value at on-treatment week 24), stratified by concomitant HBsAg decline (<0.5/0.5-1/>1 log).
resultsWe enrolled 279 patients; 176 were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive, and 103 were HBeAg-negative. Sustained response was achieved in 20.4% of patients. At on-treatment week 24, HBV RNA response was associated with higher sustained response rates (27.4% vs 13.0% in non-responders, P = 0.004). However, among patients with an HBV RNA response (n = 135), 56.4% did not experience >0.5 log HBsAg decline. Among HBV RNA responders, sustained response was achieved in 47.6% of those with >1 log HBsAg decline (n = 20/42), vs 16.0% with <0.5 log decline (n = 12/75, P = 0.001). Similar results were obtained with HBcrAg and when response was defined as HBsAg loss.
conclusionsIn this cohort, many patients with HBV RNA response during peginterferon-based treatment did not experience HBsAg and/or HBcrAg decline. The absence of concomitant decline in these viral antigens was associated with low rates of treatment response and HBsAg loss. Future trials should therefore consider kinetics of combined biomarkers to assess anti-viral efficacy. Trial registration, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00114361, NCT00146705.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.