The Evolving Landscape of Drug Discovery for Hepatitis B: Recent Advances and Future Prospects
Abstract
The main cause of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Liver Cirrhosis is an infection due to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) which remains a major global health concern. A complete cure with the help of Current therapies is very difficult due to the persistence of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) although pegylated interferons and nucleos(t)ide analogues effectively suppress viral replication. Latest development in HBV drug discovery and highlighting novel therapeutic strategies targeting multiple stages of the viral life cycle is the main summary of this review. Entry inhibitors, cccDNA-targeted therapies, RNA interference-based therapeutics, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) secretion inhibitors, capsid assembly modulators, and gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 are some of the emerging approaches. Therapeutic potential of the mechanisms of action and current clinical development are discussed. Evidence shows that combination therapies mixing direct-acting antivirals with immunomodulatory agents may give the most potential path in achieving a visible cure. Current research and clinical translation of the above approaches are likely to elevate treatment outcomes and lessen the global load of chronic hepatitis B.
