Ethics and hepatitis B cure research

Recent scientific advances, including the development of curative therapies for HCV and the establishment of global cure initiatives for HIV, have led to international calls seeking a cure for chronic infection with HBV.1 2 Over 240 million people live with chronic HBV, resulting in up to 780 000 deaths annually due to hepatic fibrosis/cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).3 4 Persons chronically infected with HBV who do not receive treatment have a lifelong risk of developing HCC, the third most common cause of disease globally.5–7 Along with scaled-up approaches to preventing and treating chronic HBV infection, having a safe and effective cure for HBV infection promises to minimise the global burden of HBV-related morbidity and mortality and reduce the economic and other burdens of lifelong treatment. Nevertheless, as HBV cure research proceeds, it is critical to anticipate...

Source: Gut - February 14, 2017 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Sugarman, J., Revill, P., Zoulim, F., Yazdanpanah, Y., Janssen, H. L. A., Lim, S. G., Lewin, S. R. Tags: Hepatic cancer Leading article Source Type: research