Delgado, Lucía Bonet, Juan I. Arenas, Conrado M. Fernandez Rodriguez, Luisa Gonzalez-Diéguez, http://www.selleckchem.com/products/BIBW2992.html Óscar Núñez, Manuel Praga, Javier del Pino, Moisés Diago Background. Hepatitis B core related antigen (HBcrAg) is a new marker which is a combined measure of the core proteins HBeAg, HBcAg and p22cr, and correlates with intrahe-patic covalently closed circular DNA. Serum HBcrAg levels may therefore be associated with response to antiviral therapy. Methods. We studied HBeAg-positive patients treated within an international randomized trial (ARES), in which all

patients were treated with ETV (0.5mg/day) from w0-24, and randomized to either PEG-IFN add-on from w24-48 (n=85), or to ETV-monotherapy continuation (n=90). Response was defined as HBeAg-loss with HBV DNA<200IU/ml. Only responders at w48 stopped ETV at w72. All patients were followed until check details w96. Serum HBcrAg was measured using the Lumipulse® G HBcrAg (Fujirebio Europe). Results. At w96, response was achieved in 31% vs. 20% of patients assigned PEG-IFN add-on vs. monotherapy respectively. Lower HBcrAg levels at w0 were associated with response to ETV (OR 0.5, 95%CI:0.3-0.8, p<0.001), but not to PEG-IFN add-on

(OR 0.9, 95%CI:0.5-1.6, p=0.678). At w96 more HBcrAg decline was observed among responders (−2.6 vs -2.0 log U/mL for monotherapy and −3.5 vs −2.0 log U/mL for add-on, both p<0.001), with more decline for responders to add-on vs. monotherapy (p=0.010; figure). Lower HBcrAg levels at w48 were associated with HBsAg levels <1000IU/mL at w96 (OR 0.5, 95%CI:0.3-0.8, p=0.002). By Bland-Altman analysis, agreement between HBeAg and

HBcrAg measurements at w0 was close (mean difference -3.1×10-6 Log U/mL, 95%CI:-0.9 – 0.9), with comparable on-treatment results obtained for w12-96. Conclusion. On-treatment HBcrAg decline is associated with response to both ETV monotherapy and ETV+PEG-IFN add-on therapy, with most prominent declines observed during PEG-IFN. HBcrAg and HBeAg measurements seemed to follow similar MCE公司 on-treatment dynamics. Disclosures: Milan J. Sonneveld – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: Roche; Speaking and Teaching: Roche, BMS Suzan D. Pas – Grant/Research Support: the Virgo consortium, funded by the Dutch government (FES0908), the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (NGI) project number 050-060-452, the European Community Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under project EMPERIE (grant agreement no. 223498] Robert J. de Knegt – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: MSD, Roche, Norgine, Janssen Cilag; Grant/Research Support: Gilead, MSD, Roche, Janssen Cilag, BMS; Speaking and Teaching: Gilead, MSD, Roche, Janssen Cilag Andre Boonstra – Grant/Research Support: BMS, Janssen Pharmaceutics, Merck, Roche Harry L.