indication

For the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in adults with evidence of active viral replication and either evidence of persistent elevations in serum aminotransferases (ALT or AST) or histologically active disease.

pharmacology

Entecavir is a guanosine nucleoside analogue with selective activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is designed to selectively inhibit the Hepatitis B virus, blocking all three steps in the replication process. Entecavir is more efficient than an older Hepatitis B drug, lamivudine.

mechanism of action

By competing with the natural substrate deoxyguanosine triphosphate, entecavir functionally inhibits all three activities of the HBV polymerase (reverse transcriptase, rt): (1) base priming, (2) reverse transcription of the negative strand from the pregenomic messenger RNA, and (3) synthesis of the positive strand of HBV DNA. Upon activation by kinases, the drug can be incorporated into the DNA which has the ultimate effect of inhibiting the HBV polymerase activity.

toxicity

Healthy subjects who received single entecavir doses up to 40 mg or multiple doses up to 20 mg/day for up to 14 days had no increase in or unexpected adverse events. If overdose occurs, the patient must be monitored for evidence of toxicity, and standard supportive treatment applied as necessary.

biotransformation

Entecavir is not a substrate, inhibitor, or inducer of the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme system. Entecavir is efficiently phosphorylated to the active triphosphate form.

absorption

Absorption Following oral administration in healthy subjects, entecavir peak plasma concentrations occurred between 0.5 and 1.5 hours. In healthy subjects, the bioavailability of the tablet is 100% relative to the oral solution.

half life

After reaching peak concentration, entecavir plasma concentrations decreased in a bi-exponential manner with a terminal elimination half-life of approximately 128-149 hours. The phosphorylated metabolite has a half-life of 15 hours.