Can long-acting interferon cure slow-acting hepatitis B?

Chronic hepatitis B is a disease that seriously endangers patients’ health and affects their lives, and the pursuit of a “cure” is the dream of every patient. The closest clinical cure for chronic hepatitis B treatment is HBsAg clearance, which is often referred to as “cap removal”. The two types of antiviral treatment options: long-acting interferon and nucleoside analog therapy, long-acting interferon has a dual mechanism of action to stimulate the body’s immunity, so the chances of achieving HBeAg serological conversion and even HBsAg clearance are relatively high, which has certain advantages in achieving a clinical cure. As long as patients do not have contraindications to interferon, they can choose long-acting interferon therapy. In particular, younger patients with high enzymes and low toxicity, i.e. stronger immune function, are more advantageous patients for long-acting interferon therapy, and they have a higher chance of achieving clinical cure with long-acting interferon. In clinical studies, among HBeAg-positive Hepatitis B patients with high enzyme and low toxicity who were treated for the first time, patients with HBsAg <1500 IU/mL at 24 weeks of pegylated interferon treatment had a HBeAg serological conversion rate of nearly 60% at 24 weeks after discontinuation of the drug. However, the choice of long-acting interferon is not the same as necessarily achieving a clinical cure, or achieving a clinical cure is not a one-day process. The efficacy of interferon requires adequate treatment time, and attention should be paid to following medical advice and administering the full dose and duration of treatment. After receiving long-acting interferon treatment, in order to achieve better results, it is important to actively cooperate with the HBsAg quantification test, which is a vane of long-acting interferon treatment and can help us understand the efficacy of long-acting interferon and guide the adjustment of the treatment plan. If you see a rapid decline in HBsAg quantification during treatment, it suggests that you have a better chance of achieving clinical cure and should adhere to your treatment. Conversely, treatment regimens may need to be adjusted based on the physician's judgment. In addition, some adverse reactions may occur with long-acting interferon injections, the most common being flu-like symptoms such as fever, malaise and generalized aches and pains. It is important to be aware of these adverse reactions when receiving long-acting interferon treatment, to communicate more with your doctor, and to respond positively to these adverse reactions once they occur, to avoid randomly interrupting treatment and missing the opportunity for success.