- Recommendation ID
- CG165/1
- Question
- Stopping antiviral treatment in HBeAg-negative disease:- Further research should be undertaken to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) quantitative assays in determining treatment duration in hepatitis B e antigen- (HBeAg) negative disease.
- Any explanatory notes
(if applicable) - Why this is important:- In HBeAg-positive disease, HBeAg seroconversion is a predictor of durable response to antiviral treatment and can be used as a milestone after which treatment can be stopped. At present, similar parameters have not been defined in HBeAg-negative disease. Quantitative HBsAg may have a role in determining treatment duration in this setting. Establishing threshold levels for HBsAg titre associated with durable off-treatment control in HBeAg-negative disease would transform current treatment strategies. People on long-term nucleoside or nucleotide analogues could safely stop treatment once they achieved a threshold level of HBsAg. Further research is needed to define these levels of HBsAg and to determine when treatment in HBeAg-negative disease can be safely stopped.
Source guidance details
- Comes from guidance
- Hepatitis B (chronic): diagnosis and management
- Number
- CG165
- Date issued
- June 2013
Other details
| Is this a recommendation for the use of a technology only in the context of research? | No |
| Is it a recommendation that suggests collection of data or the establishment of a register? | No |
| Last Reviewed | 12/07/2013 |