Ethnicity, genomic ancestry, and HBV genotype in off-treatment outcomes following nucleos(t)ide analogue cessation: a prospective multicentre trial (COIN-B).

What was studied

This was a prospective trial in many centres. It enrolled people with long-term hepatitis B. 91 patients stopped their long-term antiviral drugs. They had no advanced fibrosis. 84 finished the 72-week plan. The trial looked at ethnicity, ancestry and virus type.

What they found

Viral control at week 72 was the main goal. It did not differ between Caucasian and non-Caucasian patients. So the main test showed no gap. In exploratory analyses, HBsAg loss was seen only in some groups. These were people of European, North African or Middle Eastern ancestry. A big fall in HBsAg was less common in Asian or sub-Saharan African ancestry. Lower HBsAg at the end of treatment predicted viral control. Genotypes C and D had less control and needed more retreatment than genotype A.

What it means for patients

The authors say genomic ancestry and virus genotype capture real differences between patients. They call for a more detailed look at the groups studied.

Why it is not certain yet

The main comparison used small groups, with 41 and 43 people. The ancestry findings came from exploratory analyses. Only 84 patients finished the plan. The abstract does not say how well the findings hold in larger groups.

Source

Ethnicity, genomic ancestry, and HBV genotype in off-treatment outcomes following nucleos(t)ide analogue cessation: a prospective multicentre trial (COIN-B).

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