Quest Diagnostics, Madison, NJ, has launched a new testing service that helps physicians evaluate a patient’s response to drug therapies used to treat infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The first test of its kind available in the United States, the test is significant because it may help physicians tailor more effective treatments for the up to 2.2 million individuals infected with HBV.
Currently, qualitative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) tests are used to aid in the diagnosis of patients with HBV. By contrast, Quests’s quantitative testing service measures the amount of viral antigen in blood to help determine whether the immune system of an individual infected with HBV is responding to treatment. With this insight, physicians will be better positioned to monitor response to antiviral medications, which may enable them to modify or adjust treatments in order to minimize the likelihood of progression and reactivation.
Robert G. Gish, MD, Robert G Gish Consultants LLC.
“The widespread availability of quantitative HBsAg testing through Quest for use by hepatologists, gastroenterologists, and other specialists will advance the care of HBV-infected patients,” says Robert G. Gish, MD, of Robert G Gish Consultants LLC. “The ability to reliably quantify surface antigen will enhance clinicians’ ability to stage patient’s disease state, provide prognostic information, and help guide care with current antivirals and new therapies that are in the development pipeline.”
Chronic hepatitis B infection is currently treated with antiviral therapies or interferon alpha (PEG-IFN). Unlike hepatitis C virus infection, for which direct-acting antiviral drugs have achieved high success rates, cure rates are lower for HBV due to the persistent nature of the virus and the low rate of patient compliance with long-term therapies. Because viral load may be suppressed during treatment, it cannot be used by itself as an indicator of viral clearance. According to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, resolved chronic HBV is defined by clearance of HBsAg.
Rick L. Pesano, MD, PhD, Quest Diagnostics.
“An estimated 850,000 to 2.2 million persons in the United States are infected with chronic hepatitis B,” says Rick L. Pesano, MD, PhD, vice president of research and development at Quest Diagnostics. “While there are effective therapies that can functionally cure HBV infection, physicians in the United States have lacked tools that help predict individualized patient response to those treatments. With this new test capability, physicians can better develop tailored treatment plans and monitor HBV-infected patients to help prevent progression and better their chance for long-term immunity.”
HBV can be transmitted by blood, semen, or other body fluids from a person infected with the virus. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic HBV can lead to serious health issues, including cirrhosis or liver cancer.
For more information, visit Quest Diagnostics
