Oral Ganciclovir for Treatment of Lamivudine-Resistant Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 35; no. 8; pp. 960 - 965
• Main Authors: Bozkaya, Hakan, Yurdaydin, Cihan, Bozdayi, Abdullah Mithat, Erkan, Ozlem, Karayalcin, Selim, Uzunalimoglu, Ozden
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 15.10.2002; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Adult; Anti-HIV Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antiviral agents; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic hepatitis; Cirrhosis; DNA; Drug Resistance, Viral; Female; Ganciclovir - therapeutic use; Genetic mutation; Hepatitis antigens; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis B - drug therapy; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B virus - drug effects; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Lamivudine - pharmacology; Major Articles; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pilot Projects; Polymerase chain reaction; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Viruses; Acyclic nucleoside; Purine nucleoside; RNA-directed DNA polymerase; Enzyme; Transferases; Oral administration; Enzyme inhibitor; Hepatic disease; Lamivudine; Infection; Viral hepatitis B; Viral hepatitis A; Nucleotidyltransferases; Ganciclovir; Treatment; Viral disease; Dideoxynucleoside; Reverse transcriptase inhibitor; Digestive diseases; Antiviral; Nucleosidic analog; Pyrimidine nucleoside
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/342907

Although liver disease seems to be stable in most patients who are infected with lamivudine-resistant mutant hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the short term, it may progress to more-advanced disease in some patients. In our pilot study, we investigated the efficacy of oral ganciclovir for the treatment of lamivudine-resistant HBV infection. Six patients infected with lamivudine-resistant HBV (3 patients had decompensated cirrhosis and 3 had chronic active hepatitis without cirrhosis) were included. Ganciclovir was administered at a dosage of 3 g daily for 6 months. Four of 6 patients completed the 6-month treatment period. Two patients with cirrhosis completed only 2 months of ganciclovir treatment because they died of cirrhosis complications. None of the patients had a ⩾2-log10 reduction of HBV DNA and complete alanine aminotransferase normalization at the end of their treatment regimens. In conclusion, 6 months of ganciclovir treatment is not effective for suppression of lamivudine-resistant HBV infection.