Comparison of Efficacy and Safety between Lamivudine and Telbivudine in Blocking Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus in Late Stage of Pregnancy

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety between Lamivudine and Telbivudine in blocking vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus(HBV) from HBV-infected mothers with high levels of virus replication during late stage of pregnancy.Methods We retrospectively reviewed medical data of 87 pregnant women who were positive for HBeAg.They were divided into three groups,Lamivudine group(32),Telbivudine group(28),and the control group(27).The subjects in Lamivudine group and Telbivudine group orally took Lamivudine 100mg/d and Telbivudine 600mg/d,respectively,from the 28th week of gestation to the fourth week after delivery.The primary end point was HBsAg positive rate of new-born infants.Results A total of 32,28,and 27 infants were born in the Lamivudine group,Telbivudine group and the control group,respectively.Serum log10 HBV DNA levels of mothers in the Lamivudine((3.92±1.21)copies/ml) and Telbivudine group((3.18±1.43)copies/ml) were significantly lower than that in the control group((8.53±1.74)copies/ml,P0.01).HBsAg positive rates of one-year-old infants in the Lamivudine(3.1%)and Telbivudine group(0)were significantly lower than that of the control group(18.5%,P0.05).No significant side effects were observed among the mothers and infant during treatment and follow-up.Conclusion Lamivudine and Telbivudine are both effective in preventing vertical transmission of HBV from HBV-infected mothers in late stage of pregnancy.