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What Is the Best End Point for Hepatitis B Treatment?
- Bulent Degertekin, MD; and
- Anna S.F. Lok, MD
- From the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
IN RESPONSE:
We appreciate Drs. Lai and Yuen's comments. We agree that lifelong maintenance therapy would be preferred when safe, affordable, and effective treatment is available to prevent disease recurrence. However, the safety of lifetime use of nucleoside or nucleotide analogues for hepatitis B has not been established. Adefovir is associated with a small risk for nephrotoxicity. Entecavir at high doses in rodents was associated with a variety of tumors, prompting the manufacturer to pledge a 10-year follow-up study to establish its long-term safety …
