Add-on pegylated interferon augments hepatitis B surface antigen clearance vs continuous nucleos(t)ide analog monotherapy in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis B surface antigen </= 1500 IU/mL: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) has shown limited effectiveness against hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of add-on peginterferon alpha-2a (peg-IFN alpha-2a) to an ongoing NA regimen in CHB patients. METHODS: In this observational study, 195 CHB patients with HBsAg /= 2 x upper limit of normal during the first 12 wk of therapy were strong predictors of HBsAg clearance in patients with peg-IFN alpha-2a add-on treatment. Regarding the safety of the treatment, 4.4% (4/91) of patients in the add-on group discontinued peg-IFN alpha-2a due to adverse events. No severe adverse events were noted. CONCLUSION: Peg-IFN alpha-2a as an add-on therapy augments HBsAg clearance in HBeAg-negative CHB patients with HBsAg