Safety and efficacy of lamivudine or telbivudine started in early pregnancy for mothers with active chronic hepatitis B

Background Few data exist regarding use of nucleos(t)ide analogs started in early pregnancy for mothers with active chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We assessed the safety and efficacy of lamivudine/telbivudine initiated in the first trimester versus no treatment in mothers with active CHB. Methods We retrospectively enrolled 94 mothers newly diagnosed with active CHB in the first trimester of pregnancy. Patients with or without antiviral therapy were followed until postpartum week 28. All newborns received immunoprophylaxis. The primary endpoint was the safety of mothers and infants. The secondary endpoints were hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA suppression and mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rate. Results Fifty-nine of the 94 mothers initiated lamivudine/telbivudine (27/32) in the first trimester of pregnancy; 35 received no treatment. At delivery, the viral load reduction was similar between lamivudine and telbivudine. Early initiation of lamivudine/telbivudine significantly increased the proportion of mothers achieving HBV DNA <10(6) copies/ml compared with those with no treatment (100 versus 42.42 %, p < 0.001). At postpartum week 28, the MTCT rate was significant lower in the treated group than in the control group (0/61 or 0 versus 4/34 or 11.76 %, p = 0.028). Lamivudine and telbivudine were well tolerated in the mothers except mild creatine kinase (CK) elevation. There existed no differences in gestational age, infant length and weight, Apgar score, adverse events, or birth defect rates between infants from treated and untreated mothers. Conclusions Treatment with lamivudine or telbivudine for active CHB in early pregnancy appears to be safe and effective for controlling maternal disease as well as interrupting MTCT.