Hepatitis B infection in China.

Chronic HBV infection is a serious health threat in the Asian-Pacific region. The introduction of lamivudine has greatly improved the hope of these patients and is undoubtly a milestone in the management of chronic HBV infection. The combination of lamivudine with another nucleotide or nucleoside analogue or immunomodulatory agent to improve its therapeutic efficacy further must be investigated. Also, the use of lamivudine to prevent HBV reactivation on withdrawal of immunosuppressive therapy should be explored.