EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF LAMIVUDINE FOR CHRONIC HEPATITIS B IN PREGNANCY

In this study Su and their colleagues from main land China enrolled 38 pregnant women who had been receiving lamivudine due to chronic hepatitis B before conception and decided to continue that voluntarily during pregnancy. Twelve double antigens (HBsAg/HBeAg)-positive mothers were further evaluated. Their infants had received active and passive immunization at birth and followed-up for one year. None of the infants were positive for either HBsAg or HBeAg at the end of follow-up. Thus vertical transmission blocking rate was 100% in this group. Three groups of control pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B were selected from medical literatures. All cases were double antigens (HBsAg / HBeAg)-positive. Group one consisted of 81 pregnant women and the infants only received active immunization. The blocking rate of vertical transmission was 74%. In group two, 37 pregnant women were enrolled and the infants received active immunization with only minimal changes in dosages of vaccine comparing to the first control group. The blocking rate of vertical transmission was 64%. The third group consisted of 10 pregnant women. The infants received no medical intervention. The blocking rate of vertical transmission was zero in this group. In other words, natural vertical transmission of HBV from double antigens (HBsAg/HBeAg)-positive mothers to their infants were 100%. In this study, they concluded that using 100 mg lamivudine by pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B not only did not develop any serious side effect but increased blocking rate of vertical transmission in their infants.