Combination Therapy: A Key to The Elimination of HBV cccDNA

Abstract

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) poses a significant global health problem, with approximately 257 million individuals chronically infected worldwide, causing 887 000 deaths per annum [1]. Healthy individuals are able to resolve infection within the first six months of infection (acute stage). However, infection may persist for longer than 6 months resulting in Chronic Hepatitis B infection (CHB), which is characterized by the presence of the Hepatitis B virus surface Antigen (HBsAg) [1]. Furthermore, CHB results in complications such as cirrhosis, endstage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, which are the causes of high mortality rates [1].