Table 4.

Suggested virological end points for new DAAs, as compared to currently available therapies. End points are based on readily measured blood levels of HBV DNA and gene products. HBeAg+ and HBeAg− patients are those with or without detectable HBeAg in the blood at the start of therapy. Viral DNA is detected by PCR, and HBeAg and HBsAg are detected by standard commercial ELISA. As indicated in Table 3, following at least 48 weeks of current therapies, up to 77% of HBeAg+ patients experience reductions of viremia to undetectable levels, 33% show HBeAg seroconversion and 1-5% have HBsAg loss (Gish, Marrero et al. 2010). Under the same regimens, up to 95% of HBeAg− patients experience reductions of viremia to undetectable levels, none have stable sustained reductions in viremia off-drug and 1-5% show loss of HBsAg.

Circulating marker	HBeAg+ patients	HBeAg− patients
viral DNA	Reductions to undetectable levels in all treated patients	Reductions to undetectable levels in all treated patients
	More rapid kinetics of reduction	More rapid kinetics of reduction
	Sustained suppression of viremia off drug	Sustained suppression of viremia off drug
HBeAg	Seroconversion to HBeAg negativity in 100% of those treated	Not applicable
HBsAg	Undetectable in all treated patients	Undetectable in all treated patients

In the submitted revised manuscript, footnote 9 in Table 4 refers to “HBeAg positive patients”, even though the column is headed “HBeAg negative patients.”