New Treatments & Clinical Trials for Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B affects about 300 million people worldwide, with treatments that suppress the virus but rarely eliminate it. Current drugs — tenofovir, entecavir, and pegylated interferon — keep the virus at low levels and prevent liver damage in most people, but lifelong treatment is typically needed.

What's actually going on in research

Trials are testing drugs that aim for functional cure by silencing viral DNA permanently, immune therapies that help the body clear infected liver cells, and combination approaches using multiple mechanisms at once. Researchers are also studying shorter treatment courses and therapies that target the cccDNA reservoir the virus maintains in liver cells.

What to know before you search

Eligibility typically depends on viral load levels, liver function, whether you've taken hepatitis B drugs before, and presence of cirrhosis or liver damage.

What types of trials are currently open

• Antiviral trials — Testing new drugs that suppress hepatitis B replication, often compared to tenofovir or entecavir to see if they work better or have fewer side effects.
• Functional cure trials — Testing drugs or combinations that might allow people to stop treatment while keeping the virus suppressed long-term.
• Immune therapy trials — Testing drugs or vaccines that boost the immune system's ability to fight hepatitis B, often used alongside antiviral drugs.
• Combination trials — Testing two or more drugs with different mechanisms to see if combining approaches leads to better virus control or cure.
• Prevention trials — Studies testing vaccines or drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission or infection in high-risk groups.