Ribavirin to Enhance Hepatitis B Virus Nucleotide Analog Antiviral Activity
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-09-30
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) leads to life-threatening disease like liver failure and liver
cancer. For most, a cure is unattainable as current HBV antiviral therapy (using nucleoside
analogues) are not able to clear the virus from their liver. While HBV treatments are
typically administered alone (monotherapy), this study will explore the use of Ribavirin in
combination with standard therapy to enhance current treatment regimens. Ribavirin is
commonly used to treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) but there is evidence that Ribavirin also
induces immune effects that are beneficial in HBV treatment. The aim of this study is to
determine whether combination of Ribavirin and a nucleoside analog is more effective compared
to nucleoside analog treatment alone. Enrolled patients will be followed for treatment
response according to standard clinical and virological tests, as well as immune response to
HBV. Our ultimate goal is to find a more effective treatment and improve health outcomes for
persons living with HBV.