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.

Glossary: Anti-TNF: Anti-tumor necrosis factor; Chemo: Chemotherapy; DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid; HBeAg: Hepatitis B e-antigen; HBsAg: Hepatitis B surface antigen; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; QD: Once a day; SAE: Serious adverse event; TAF: Tenofovir alafenamide; TG: Triglyceride

Viral hepatitis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In fact, 90% of this burden is attributed to the sequelae of infections of HBV and HCV.¹ In view of this, the WHO established a goal in 2015 to eliminate HBV and HCV infections by the year of 2030.¹ With commitment to both prevention and treatment by increasing the reach of vaccination programs and launching screening and treatment initiatives, elimination is a feasible goal.¹

Prior studies on the effects of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) in liver transplant recipients were found to be limited to small-scale only.^1-2 However, a recent large-scale, multicenter study conducted by Liu JK et al. published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology compared renal outcomes among liver transplant recipients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) treated with TAF, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) or entecavir (ETV).¹

Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is a global public health challenge in the same scale as tuberculosis, HIV, or malaria.¹ Globally, HBV infection causes considerable amount of liver-related morbidity and mortality. In Hong Kong, 7.8% of the population suffers from HBV infection,

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is effectively managed with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs), yet the treatment is given over an indefinite period of time as functional cure is still difficult to achieve.¹ Since the aging demographic continues to grow

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,

Oral antiviral treatments with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are highly effective in suppressing hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication.1 However, most patients with chronic HBV (CHB) infection still require a long-term therapy, as viral suppression with NAs rarely leads to functional cure.1,2 Consider