What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 78 patients with hepatitis b. The study was sponsored by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Only 4% of CLL patients on targeted therapy developed protective antibodies after hepatitis B vaccination.
Blood · 2021 · NCT03685708
These findings — that cLL patients on ibrutinib-type drugs who developed protective hepatitis B antibodies — were published in the Blood and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 78 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with hepatitis b, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This was an early-stage study exploring how well vaccines work in CLL patients. If you have CLL and need hepatitis B vaccination, talk to your doctor about timing—getting vaccinated before starting ibrutinib-type drugs may work better. The vaccine itself is FDA-approved, but this research helps doctors understand the best timing for CLL patients.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open hepatitis b trials
Non-interventional Study to Assess the Number of People With Untreated/Unknown HBV + HDV and HCV in South-East Austria
The HEAL-S study is a non-interventional study with retrospective data analysis. It consists of two parts. First a retrospective analysis based on nucleic acid testing (NAT) results will be performed. Two cohorts (HCV) and (HBV) will be established. Patients falling into one (or both) of the two cohorts will be invited to a prospective linkage-to-care study. In this part, patients are invited to the clinic, where the possibility of hepatitis treatment will be discussed.
Immune Dynamics in the Natural History of Chronic HBV Infection
The purpose of this observational study is to follow up on chronic HBV-infected patients over a long period of time to understand the changes in the immune status as age increases and the natural history of chronic HBV infection progresses. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the natural history of chronic HBV infection progress with changes in HBV-specific immunity? * What is the role of age in the natural history of chronic HBV infection? Patients with chronic HBV infection who are untreated and aged 1-80 years will be followed up every six months. During each follow-up, HBV-related serological and virological indicators will be tested. Peripheral blood samples will also be collected to test HBV-specific immunity and the immune environment.