Objective To evaluate the efficacy of adefovir monotherapy (ADF) versus adefovir-Matrine combination therapy (ADF+M) for chronic hepatitis B.
Methods Such databases as The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PubMed, CBM, CNKI, WanFang and VIP Database were searched from the date of their establishment to July 2010, and the references of all included studies were also traced so as to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ADF versus ADF+M. Quality assessment and data extraction were conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook 5.0.2 by two reviewers independently. Meta-analyses were conducted by using RevMan 5.0 software.
Results A total of 24 RCTs involving 2 092 patients were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that at the end of the treatment for both six months and 12 months, respectively, the ADF+M group was superior to ADF group with a significant difference in both the HBeAg seroconversion rate as the primary outcome (six months: RR=2.05, 95%CI 1.53 to 2.74; 12 months: RR=2.13 95%CI 1.74 to 2.60) and the secondary outcome such as HBV-DNA negative conversion, HBeAg negative conversion, ALT normalization, HBV-DNA variation, complete response and HBsAg negative conversion, etc.
Conclusion As the current evidence shows, ADF+M therapy is superior to ADF therapy for chronic hepatitis B. The significant difference can even be observed at the end of the treatment for six months. However, the results should be interpreted with caution because of the low quality of the included studies. High-quality, large-scale RCTs are needed to further prove the results.
Citation： TANG Lanhua,ZHAO Shushan,CHEN Lizhang,WANG Wei,DAI Xiahong,ZHOU Rongrong,FAN Xuegong. Adefovir-Matrine Combination Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B: A Systematic Review. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2011, 11(3): 300-307. doi: 10.7507/1672-2531.20110050 Copy