Hepatitis B in HIV: available treatment options and approach to therapy.

In the past 5 years, three new drugs were approved for hepatitis B, bringing the total number of therapies to five nucleos(-t)ide analogues and two interferons. Some of these drugs are also active against HIV. As the complexity of hepatitis B treatment increases, it becomes important for practitioners to be familiar with the potency, resistance patterns, and response rates for each hepatitis B agent. In this article, the efficacy in HIV and the best regimens for coinfected patients are discussed for those needing treatment for both infections. A particular emphasis is placed on cross-resistance among hepatitis B drugs.