TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Kaohsiung Medical University President Yu Ming-lung (余明隆) and South Korea's University of Ulsan College of Medicine Dean Lim Young-suk (林永錫) have found early antiviral treatment significantly reduces the risk of serious liver complications in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Their findings were published in the international medical journal, Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. For the study, adults aged 40–80 with non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis B were recruited for randomized control trials conducted in 22 different medical centers across Taiwan and South Korea, per CNA.

According to Yu, the trials were interested in intended to challenge current hepatitis B treatment guidelines that recommend antiviral treatment only for patients with significant liver fibrosis or a significantly elevated alanine aminotransferase or ALT liver function index. Guidelines lacked specific recommendations for patients with high viremia (virus load in the bloodstream) and those who do not have cirrhosis and whose liver function indexes did not increase significantly.

Yu and Lim's study found that regardless of whether ALT is abnormal, early use of Tenofovir alafenamide antiviral drugs can significantly reduce the risk of serious liver complications. This includes hepatocellular carcinoma, acute deterioration of liver function, and mortality in adult patients with chronic hepatitis B without cirrhosis but with moderate or high viremia.

The authors of the research said their study shows early antiviral treatment can improve the long-term health of millions of chronic hepatitis B patients worldwide. In light of their findings, they called for updated clinical treatment guidelines and insurance payment policies for chronic hepatitis B patients who could benefit from early antiviral treatment.