Genotyping Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Drug Resistance

Agents available or in development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection fall into two major groups: immunomodulators, such as interferon-α and therapeutic vaccines, and nucleoside/nucleotide analogs, such as lamivudine and adefovir (1 ). Currently, the only therapies approved in the United States for treatment of chronic HBV infection are IFN-α and lamivudine. However, a number of nucleoside and nucleotide analogs are in development, and it is likely that treatment of chronic HBV infection in the future will involve additional therapies.