Recently, Professor Chen Tianyan from Department of Infectious Diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital (FAH) of Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) participated in publishing an original study entitled "Tenofovir and Hepatitis B Virus Transmission During Pregnancy A Randomized Clinical Trial" in JAMA (impact factor: 30.02).
Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is the main transmission route of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in China, and preventing MTCT of HBV is the key to eliminate hepatitis B. Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) vaccination for newborns can effectively reduce the incidence of MTCT of HBV. However, HBIG vaccination may be unavailable due to limited drug preservation or high costs in resource-limited countries and regions, which presents a challenge to HBV elimination in these countries.
Recently, Professor Chen Tianyan from Department of Infectious Diseases of FAH participated in publishing an original study in JAMA, which evaluated the efficacy of tenofovir dipivoxil fumarate (TDF) combined with HBV vaccination in preventing MTCT of hepatitis B. The results showed that in pregnant HBV women with high levels of viremia, TDF beginning at gestational week 16 combined with HBV vaccination for infants was non-inferior to the standard care of TDF beginning at gestational week 28 combined with HBIG and HBV vaccination for infants. These results support beginning TDF at gestational week 16 combined with infant HBV vaccine to prevent MTCT of HBV in geographic areas where HBIG is not available.
Professor Chen Tianyan from Department of Infectious Diseases of FAH participated in the entire process of experimental work and manuscript publishing. The results of this study suggest that it is more beneficial for pregnant HBV women with high levels of viremia to initiate TDF at gestational week 16 to control viral load. Combining with HBV vaccination for infants can simplify infant immunization prevention in countries or regions with limited availability of HBIG, achieving a preventing rate of MTCT non-inferior to that of the standard care.
