PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Weller, I V
AU  - Bassendine, M F
AU  - Craxi, A
AU  - Fowler, M J
AU  - Monjardino, J
AU  - Thomas, H C
AU  - Sherlock, S
TI  - Successful treatment of HBs and HBeAg positive chronic liver disease: prolonged inhibition of viral replication by highly soluble adenine arabinoside 5'-monophosphate (ARA-AMP).
AID  - 10.1136/gut.23.9.717
DP  - 1982 Sep 01
TA  - Gut
PG  - 717--723
VI  - 23
IP  - 9
4099  - http://gut.bmj.com/content/23/9/717.short
4100  - http://gut.bmj.com/content/23/9/717.full
SO  - Gut1982 Sep 01; 23
AB  - In eight HBs and HBe antigen positive patients with chronic active liver disease, adenine arabinoside 5'-monophosphate (ARA-AMP) given, intravenously or intramuscularly, six or 12 hours, produced inhibition of viral replication. In five patients given a short course of therapy with 10 or 15 mg/kg/day this effect was transient and in two thrombocytopenia occurred. In three further consecutive cases given a longer course with 5 mg/kg/day after five days of the high dose, thrombocytopenia was not seen and inhibition of viral replication for up to 13 months occurred. These patients lost HBV-DNA polymerase activity, serum viral DNA and HBeAg, developed anti-HBe, and HBsAg concentrations decreased. A course of twice daily intramuscular ARA-AMP given for three to five weeks as an outpatient may be expected to produce a long-term reduction in infectivity.