“Hepatitis B drugs?”

There are two types of antiviral medications that can be used, nucleos(t)ide analogues (these are oral medications that you take daily) and interferon (an injectable medication). Most patients receive an oral medication; however, your doctor will discuss these choices with you.

Nucleos(t)ide analogues — Nucleos(t)ide analogues are oral medications that can be used to treat hepatitis B. Most patients will need long-term treatment to maintain control of the hepatitis B virus. For some patients, lifelong therapy is needed. Entecavir and tenofovir are the most commonly used oral agents. These antiviral medications are more potent and are less likely to cause the virus to develop resistance compared with other nucleos(t)ide analogues, such as lamivudine, adefovir, and telbivudine. Interferon-alfa — Interferon-alfa is an appropriate treatment for people with chronic hepatitis B infection who have detectable virus activity, ongoing liver inflammation, and no cirrhosis. Both conventional interferon and pegylated interferon are approved in the United States.