Current and novel therapies for hepatitis B virus infection.

Many therapeutic reagents for hepatitis B virus infection have established efficacy in goals such as alanine aminotransferase normalization, hepatitis B virus DNA suppression, HBeAg seroconversion, histological improvement, and reduce disease progression. However, it is not established that the efficacy of these reagents for the long-term survival and prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma although recent meta-analyses have also shown antiviral therapy to be efficacious. This article reviews the current status and innovative new options for antiviral therapy for hepatitis B and also discusses the various mechanisms of action for each drug, the results of clinical studies for each therapy, and the problems yet to be solved with respect to hepatitis B treatment.