Amazing Results with Hydroxyurea Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Preliminary Report

To introduce the possible role of hydroxyurea (HU), a well-characterized antineoplastic drug with established antiviral effects, in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Four antiretroviral-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B were enrolled in this limited pilot trial, and given 1000 mg/day of hydroxyurea for 4 weeks; then, the administration of the drug was suspended for 4 weeks. A clinical study and laboratory safety assessments and measurements of viral load were made at baseline, after drug therapy, and after one month suspension of the treatment. All 4 patients showed a significant decrease in viral load after 4 weeks of hydroxyurea therapy and the viral load of 2 patients increased again after a 4-week suspension of hydroxyurea. Our data demonstrate that the old low-cost antineoplastic drug, hydroxyurea, efficiently blocks hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. We suggest that HU will play an important role in the treatment of chronic hepatitis in the fore- seeable future. Further studies including those that evaluate optimal dosing in long-term use will continue to define the role of HU in the treatment of HBV infection alone or in combination with other antiviral drugs.