Improved Efficacy of a Pegylated Interferon-α-2a Stepwise Optimization Treatment Strategy in the Treatment of Hepatitis B e Antigen-positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

Current pegylated interferon-α (PEG-IFN) treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients are suboptimal, and effective ways of improving PEG-IFN treatment efficacy are needed. This retrospective cohort study compared the efficacy of a PEG-IFN stepwise optimization treatment (PEG-IFN SOT) strategy with that of a 48-week PEG-IFN standard therapy (PEG-IFN ST) in HBeAg-positive CHB patients. A total of 110 patients were included in our study. Of these, 70 received the PEG-IFN SOT and 40 received the PEG-IFN ST (control group). We based the decision whether to add adefovir and/or extend the PEG-IFN–based treatment to 96 weeks on the patients’ 12-week or 24-week early virological response (12W EVR, at least a 2 log(10) reduction in HBV DNA copies/mL at week 12; 24W EVR, at least 1 log(10) reduction in HBsAg IU/mL or HBsAg <1500 IU/mL at week 24) and their 48-week partial response (48W PR, 1.0 ≤HBeAg ≤10.0 S/CO or HBeAg >10.0 S/CO but HBsAg <1000 IU/mL). The HBeAg seroconversion rate 24 weeks post-PEG-IFN treatment was significantly higher in the PEG-IFN SOT than the PEG-IFN ST group (50% vs 22.5%, P = 0.005). The HBsAg clearance rates in the PEG-IFN SOT and ST groups were 10% and 0% (P = 0.04), respectively. Receiving PEG-IFN SOT (OR = 0.26, P = 0.01), ALT × ULN at baseline (OR = 0.74, P = 0.003), and achieving 12 and 24W EVR (OR = 0.29, P = 0.03) were independent factors associated with HBeAg seroconversion. PEG-IFN SOT is a promising strategy for achieving high rates of serological response in HBeAg-positive CHB patients.