Entecavir resistance is rare in nucleoside naïve patients with hepatitis B

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Abstract
Comprehensive monitoring of genotypic and phenotypic antiviral resistance was performed on 673 entecavir (ETV)-treated nucleoside naïve hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients. ETV reduced HBV DNA levels to undetectable by PCR ( In conclusion , ETVr emergence in ETV-treated nucleoside naïve patients over a 2-year period is rare, occurring in two patients with LVDr variants. These findings suggest that the rapid, sustained suppression of HBV replication, combined with a requirement for multiple substitutions, creates a high genetic barrier to ETVr in nucleoside naïve patients.