In a webinar organized by the Hong Kong Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (HKASLD), Professor Kim, Seung-Up and Dr. Wong, Yu-Jun Eugene introduced the new paradigms in viral hepatitis disease control. While Prof. Kim discussed some topics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) management, including the increased risk of kidney disease with long-term antiviral use and the appropriate first-line agents to mitigate this risk, Dr. Wong presented the challenges of hepatitis C virus (HCV) management and access to care, highlighting the efficacy and safety of the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment of sofosbuvir/ velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) in HCV patients and the simplified treatment monitoring in reducing the healthcare burden.

A recent randomized, phase 2 study by Gane, E.J. and colleagues presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD): The Liver Meeting 2021 demonstrated the high long-term efficacy and safety of tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) antiviral prophylaxis in post-orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.¹ The renal- and bone-protecting effects on patients with TAF were shown to be more profound than those with TDF.¹

Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) have been proven to be highly effective in suppressing the replication machinery of hepatitis B virus (HBV).¹ While the first-line NAs effectively suppress the progression of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection,