Study of Anti-Viral Prophylaxis for HBsAg(+) or HBcAb(+)/HBsAb(-) Patients Starting Anti-TNFα

Biologic agents, especially anti-TNFα treatments are widely used in inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). More than 60% of RA or AS patients achieve good clinical response to anti-TNFα treatment. However, TNFα is also an important mediator participating in the normal immune response to infectious agents, in particular intracellular microorganisms in the human body. Therefore, opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, viral and fungal infections have been of concern when using anti-TNFα agents. With accumulating experience, the treatment guideline for anti-TNFα therapy in latent tuberculosis is now well established. It is noteworthy that there are a number of case reports describing hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in otherwise asymptomatic carriers who received anti-TNFα treatment. Anti-TNFα agents are now utilized as a promising treatment regimen for RA and AS treatment for even HBsAg carriers, yet there are still concerns of the risk of anti-TNFα therapy contributing to HBV reactivation. In our previous studies, we found that anti-viral therapy before starting anti-TNFα treatment may reduce the incidence of HBV reactivation, and that entecavir is likely more suitable in long-term prophylaxis for HBsAg carriers under anti-TNFα treatment. This justifies the need of a prospective trial that could demonstrate the long-term effects of prophylaxis in using anti-TNFα therapy in this subgroup of patients. It would help clinicians understand 1) whether anti-viral therapy is necessary in inactive HBsAg carriers initiating anti-TNFα treatment, and 2) at what time point would we most likely witness HBV reactivation after starting anti-TNFα therapy without anti-viral therapy coverage. In addition to established nationwide network of Rheumatologists working in major academic institutes in Korea, our division in Seoul National University Hospital has led many multi-center trials throughout the past years. In summary, the question of whether to combine anti-viral prophylaxis in HBsAg carriers starting anti-TNFα therapy is an important issue to Rheumatologists. There is no guideline for managing this subset of patients, and clinicians normally begin anti-viral therapy after the patient's liver function worsens. Therefore, our nationwide network of specialists proposes to launch a prospective study to investigate the benefit of anti-viral prophylaxis with entecavir in HBsAg carriers starting anti-TNFα treatment.