Longest years on tenofovir tablets

General Discussion
1

Hi,

Has it been documented somewhere, the longest in years a person has been on tenofovir tablets ? How long have you been on Tenofovir ? If you are willing to share this info.

Br,

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Hi @hepb1, just so you know, tenofovir was first used in HIV drug cocktails long before it was approved for HBV in 2008. So there’s lots of safety data about its use in humans from HIV and even HBV. I was personally on TDF for 11 years before being switched to another version of it called TAF (sold as vemlidy) in 2019. Not sure if this helps or not? Always, Joan

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Great question, would like to know the same for entacavir or baraclude.

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According to this paper (The Discovery and Development of a Potent Antiviral Drug, Entecavir, for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B), Entecavir had its first clinical trials in the 1990s, phase III trials in 2001 and FDA-approved in 2005. There’s likely people that have been on it for more than 15 years.

Thomas

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Thanks Thomas, that’s good to know and offered me a piece of mind. Been on it for 5-6 months now and had bloodwork done recently. I think results were promising thus far. :crossed_fingers:t4:. Hopefully ultrasound looks good too. Thank you science.

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Hi Joan,

well explained. Thank you for the information, I appreciate.

Regards

Martin

7

Hi Joan,

Is Vemlidy is good for HBV. And Maximum for how many years it should be used

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me too man - I’ve been on it for close to 8 months - - ALT was normal a few months later and my viral load is zero now - it was in the millions just months before I started.

I kind of know how you feel at the beginning of this - but from all sources - it’ll last for the rest of your life - which is what my doctor said and what the experts on his board has said too that resistance is super rare to the point where it’s close to unheard of.

keep strong and live long and fully

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Thank you for sharing, very helpful to know. All the best to you!

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Hi Ajab, Vemlidy is the newest approved drug for hep b. As others have mentioned there is also tenofovir (Viread) and entecavir (Baraclude) for hep b. At this point most people who are started on the oral antivirals are kept on medication for a very long time. It’s like folks who take anti-hypertension meds to control their high blood pressure. I’ve been on Vemlidy for 3 years as of today!! Thanks for asking. Always, Joan

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Hi

I started HBV treatment in 2016. First doctor told me to use TDF. However during the last 3 years doctor told me to change. So now I have been on TAF.

Thank

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It’s my 3rd year on Vemlidy (TAF).

In the first weeks, ALT increased - this is observed in many patients when starting taking tenofovir - then went to normal levels (previously, was slightly increased) after around a month.

HBV DNA went to undetectable after around 3 months.

HBsAg level dropped from around 30000 to around 10000 as of today.

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Hello everyone,

Do we have any information chronic hepB patient live the longest with?

I mean from the time they got diagnosis untill now?

For me I know I got HepB since 2006 (17 years untill now)

Is there anyone live with HepB 30, 40, 50 years ?

Thank

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Hi,

Well, I was diagnosed now almost 40 years ago when I was in high school. Since then I was an inactive carrier until 2002 when out of nowhere liver enzymes got elevated again. In 2003 I started then a brand new drug, Hepsera, and within a month or so my viral load became undetectable and liver enzymes normalized. In 2008 I was switched over to Tenefovir only because it was less toxic for kidneys compared to Hepsera and in 2018, because of similar reasons I was switched to Vemlidy (tenefovir alafenamide). I have been Hep B DNA negative since 2003, except from one episode 10 years ago when my doctor tried to discontinue the treatment, but after 1 month the viral load became detectable and liver enzymes got elevated, so my doc panicked and restarted my treatment. In hindsight, if I had stayed off tenefovir, maybe I would have eventually cleared the virus. Now that the results on nucs discontinuation are out and show that some chronic HepB patients can clear the infection, I will probably try that again soon. Anyway, I have never had any serious physical symptoms from HepB, apart to tiredness and fatigue which could also be easily caused by other issues. But I have been taking HepB drugs for the last 20 years and I am sure side effects may become more apparent when I get older. Also, the anxiety about the elevated liver cancer risk is always present. Doing blood work and annual ultrasound checks and really hoping a new treatment is on the horizon so I can finally clear my HebB after all these years!

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Welcome to the forum Ace and thanks for your answer to @senhour’s question. I just want to reply to support your point that many people live normal lifespans with their Hepatitis B being managed. If you read across the forum, there are many people who have lived many decades after their diagnosis and with few symptoms.

Cheers,
Thomas

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