Progress in Hepatitis B Treatment, January 31, 2005

Progress in Hepatitis B Treatment, January 31, 2005

1. Pegylated interferon. Currently available pegylated interferons are also known as long-acting interferons, including pegylated interferon α-2a and pegylated interferon α-2b. The former is marketed as Pegasys; the latter as Pegetron. One injection per week for 48 weeks, with higher efficacy than lamivudine.

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2. Nucleoside analogs. Lamivudine and adefovir are commonly used nucleoside drugs; the former has an efficacy of 12%–20%, while the latter’s efficacy is slightly higher than that of the former. In addition, there are entecavir (ETV), telbivudine (ETC), and cliveridine (CLV) among this class of drugs, all with an efficacy ranging from 30% to 40%.

3. Currently, the immunosuppressive agents used for hepatitis B prevention include hepatitis B vaccine (active) and high-potency hepatitis B immune globulin (passive). Both of these preparations are intended for hepatitis B prevention and can also be used for treatment.

Over half a century of experience in cytotoxic drug therapy for tumors has shown that, despite certain progress in tumor treatment, no breakthrough has yet been achieved. Although numerous new-generation cytotoxic drugs have emerged, such as taxol, docetaxel, vinorelbine, gemcitabine, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), they inevitably damage a large number of normal cells while killing cancer cells, resulting in significant toxic side effects. In recent years, it has been discovered that tumor growth and development are closely related to many molecular biological factors: ① epidermal growth factor; ② vascular endothelial growth factor; ③ gene mutations. Given the close relationship between these three factors and tumor growth, highly targeted cell-specific drugs have been developed, such as gefitinib (ZD1839) (Iressa) targeting epidermal growth factor, available in oral doses of 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, and 375 mg, taken once daily. Targeted drugs against vascular endothelial proliferation and gene mutations are also actively being researched and developed.