The large-scale study conducted by Roche compared Pegasys to GlaxoSmithKline’s lamivudine to show that Pegasys can offer greater symptom improvement to patients with the most common form of hepatitis B.
Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) is the market-leading treatment for hepatitis C. The present results indicate that the drug also benefits patients with chronic hepatitis B, and unlike oral treatment options, offers patients a defined period of therapy.
A separate study of hepatitis B shows that a third treatment known as Hepsera, offered by Gilead Sciences, is safe and effective but only through continued use. Once patients stop taking the drug its effects disappear.
The 144 week long study conducted by Gilead evaluated patients with a different form of hepatitis which affects roughly 14% of hepatitis B sufferers in the US. The researchers are hailing the drug as a valuable long-term option for the treatment for patients with chronic HBeAg-negative hepatitis B
Hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. Roche estimates that hepatitis B can cause more than 5,000 deaths in the US each year.