Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B: An Update and Prospect for Cure

Since the discovery of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) by Blumberg et al., nearly half a century ago, the subsequent development of a vaccine, understanding of the patho‐ genesis, and the advent of antiviral drugs, the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B has decreased from approximately 5% to 3.61% of the worldwide population. Despite this improvement, approximately 248 million individuals are still infected with the virus. Effective treatment of chronic hepatitis B is extremely important as a positive correla‐ tion has been observed between baseline viral load and the risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While there have been significant advancements in the management of hepatitis B virus with available nucleos(t)ide analogues, there remains much work to be done to prevent HCC. The molecular mechanism and the subsequent carcinogenesis and progression of chronic HBV carriers to HCC remain in large part poorly understood. While current treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues has succeeded in maintaining undetectable viral levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B, eradication of the virus has not been possible, and there remains the risk of develop‐ ment of HCC. Therefore, more effective treatment regimens aiming for HBV cure are urgently needed. With multiple new therapies in the pipeline, the future of treating hepatitis B is an exciting and developing one, and hopefully, it will soon become a disease of the past.