Study Comparing the Safety of Switching From Lamivudine to Adefovir Dipivoxil Versus Overlapping Lamivudine and Adefovir Before Adefovir Dipivoxil Monotherapy in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

Chronic Hepatitis B Clinical Trial

Official title: A Single Center Open-Label, Randomized Study Comparing the Safety of Immediately Switching From Lamivudine to Adefovir Dipivoxil Versus Overlapping Lamivudine and Adefovir for 12 Weeks Before Instituting Adefovir Dipivoxil Monotherapy in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

In earlier clinical studies, when patients who have been on lamivudine (LAM) were switched to adefovir dipivoxil (ADV), some patients developed ALT flares with an elevation of ALT > 10 x the upper limits of normal (ULN).

There were no cases of hepatic decompensation with the flares, however. The transition methods were varied among physicians from no overlapping to overlapping for 1 to 3 months with LAM and ADV. There is still some uncertainty about the optimal approach to switching from LAM to ADV.

This study will compare the safety of directly switching to ADV to a protocolled switch after a period of overlap of 12 weeks. This will facilitate pro-active switching in patients on LAM and will also highlight genotypic resistance ahead of phenotypic resistance as a reason to switch patients. Data to date have only been presented as part of a controlled study in patients with clinically evident LAM-resistance. This study will enroll patients who still have serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA suppression whilst receiving LAM.

Clinical Trial Description

Chronic HBV infection is an important worldwide cause of morbidity, mortality and source of potential new infections. There are an estimated 350 million carriers of HBV in the world. In China, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, as many as 10-15% of the population are chronically infected. In North America and Northern Europe, infection and carrier rates are much lower, usually below 1%. Intermediate carrier rates of 1-5% are found in Southern Europe (e.g., Italy, Greece and Spain), parts of South and Central America, the Middle East and Japan. Persistent infection develops in over 90% of perinatally infected children and in 3-10% of people who become infected after the age of 6 years. Worldwide, it has been estimated that more than one million people die annually due to HBV-related end stage diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

The goal of antiviral therapy for hepatitis B is to reduce a patient's risks for progressive liver disease through prolonged suppression or eradication of HBV infection and to arrest or ameliorate HBV-related liver damage. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Chronic Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis B, Chronic
• Hepatitis, Chronic

• NCT number: NCT00307242
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Thomas Jefferson University
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Start date: June 17, 2005
• Completion date: February 5, 2009