DATA PUBLISHED EVALUATING LONG-TERM THERAPY WITH HEPSERA

Gilead Sciences announced that data through 144 weeks supporting the efficacy and tolerability of its oral antiviral drug Hepsera (adefovir dipivoxil) in patients chronically infected with hepatitis B "e" antigen-negative (HBeAg-negative) were published in the June 30 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Continued viral suppression and changes in laboratory markers of liver function were evaluated through three years. The safety profile of Hepsera over 96 and 144 weeks was consistent with that reported over 48 weeks, which was similar to placebo. The most common adverse reactions reported through 96 weeks were headache, abdominal pain and pharyngitis.

"The sustained efficacy and tolerability we have observed among patients receiving continuous therapy in this study indicates that Hepsera is a valuable long-term treatment option for patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B," said Stephanos Hadziyannis of the Henry Dunant Hospital, Athens, Greece, a lead investigator for the study and lead author of the paper. "There is a great need for treatments with proven long-term effectiveness among patients with this form of the disease, which often requires indefinite therapy and which has an increasing prevalence around the world."