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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, October 2001, p. 2740-2745, Vol. 45, No. 10
0066-4804/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.45.10.2740-2745.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Antiviral Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of Oral Adefovir
Dipivoxil in Chronically Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus-Infected
Woodchucks
John M.
Cullen,1,*
Daniel H.
Li,1
Cynthia
Brown,1
Eugene J.
Eisenberg,2
Kenneth C.
Cundy,2
Julie
Wolfe,2
Jay
Toole,2 and
Craig
Gibbs2
North Carolina State University College of
Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, North Carolina
27606,1 and Gilead Sciences, Foster
City, California 944042
Received 9 February 2001/Returned for modification 26 April
2001/Accepted 11 July 2001
 |
ABSTRACT |
The antiviral efficacy of orally administered adefovir dipivoxil
was evaluated in an 18-week study (12 weeks of treatment and 6 weeks of
recovery) conducted with woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck
hepatitis virus (WHV). Adefovir dipivoxil is a prodrug of adefovir
designed to enhance its oral bioavailability. Following administration
of 15 mg of adefovir dipivoxil per kg of body weight in four
WHV-infected animals, the mean maximum concentration of adefovir in
serum was 0.462 µg/ml, with an elimination half-life of 10.2 h,
and the oral bioavailability of adefovir was estimated to be 22.9%
(±11.2%). To study antiviral efficacy, the animals were divided into
three groups. There were six animals each in a high-dose group (15 mg/kg/day) and a low-dose group (5 mg/kg/day). A vehicle control group
consisted of five animals because WHV DNA was detectable only by PCR at
the time of the study in one of the original six animals. Efficacy was
evaluated by determining the levels of WHV DNA in serum. The geometric
mean WHV DNA level for the high-dose group diminished by >40-fold
(>1.6 log10) after 2 weeks of treatment and >300-fold
(>2.5 log10) at 12 weeks. There was a >10-fold reduction
in five of six low-dose animals by 2 weeks, but levels were unchanged
in one animal. By 12 weeks of treatment there was a >45-fold (>1.6
log10) reduction of WHV DNA levels, and serum WHV DNA
levels were below the limit of quantification in three of six animals.
Viral DNA levels returned to pretreatment levels during the 6-week
recovery period. There were no clinically significant changes in body
weight, hematology, or serum chemistry values, including bicarbonate or
lactate, in any of the treated animals. No histologic evidence of liver
injury was apparent in the biopsies. Under the conditions of this
study, adefovir dipivoxil was an effective antihepadnaviral agent.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)
infection is a serious threat to the health and well-being of more than
350 million people, approximately 5% of the world's population,
because of the associated risk of significant liver disease, including
cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (15, 29). There are
few treatment options available for people who are currently infected
and therefore would not benefit from the effective vaccine that is available.
Current treatment options include two major groups, modifiers of the
immune response and inhibitors of viral replication. Alfa interferon is
approved for clinical use, but more than two-thirds of patients treated
with alfa interferon do not respond (14). Broad
application of interferon therapy is limited by a variety of
interferon-associated side effects, a treatment regimen that involves
repeated parenteral injection, and restriction to patients with
compensated liver disease.
Effective antiviral chemotherapeutic agents, most often nucleoside
analogues, that target hepadnaviral replication are being developed in
order to provide suitable treatment for infected individuals (17,
18, 21, 28). Testing drugs in development is facilitated by the
availability of suitable animal models with natural hepadnaviral
infections. In vitro and in vivo studies in ducks infected with duck
HBV and woodchucks infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) have
provided valuable information on the efficacy and toxicity of novel
antiviral drugs (5, 6, 18, 19, 24, 31). In vivo testing is
advantageous because pharmacokinetics and toxicity can be assessed in
addition to antiviral efficacy. Woodchucks are a particularly suitable
model for anti-HBV studies because the natural history of liver disease
during chronic infection is similar to that in humans
(26). The sensitivities of WHV and HBV reverse
transcriptase to nucleoside analogues are quite similar
(12). In addition, the woodchuck model also displayed the
lethal hepatotoxicity observed with the 2'-fluorinated nucleoside analog fialuridine (31).
Adefovir (9-[2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl]adenine) is an acyclic
nucleotide analogue of AMP that has been shown to have broad-spectrum activity against a variety of viruses in vitro (1) and in
vivo (2). Adefovir dipivoxil, the bis(pivaloyloxy-methyl)
ester of adefovir, is an oral prodrug of adefovir. It has been
effective in animal models and in clinical trials against human
immunodeficiency virus (3, 11) and HBV (13).
In this report we present results of an 18-week study of adefovir
dipivoxil treatment in chronically WHV-infected woodchucks to assess
its pharmacokinetics, safety, and antiviral efficacy in reducing serum
WHV DNA levels.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Pharmacokinetics.
For pharmacokinetic analysis, four (two
male and two female) WHV carrier woodchucks (HC307, HC297, HC298, and
HC302) were sedated with 1 ml of acepromazine maleate (10 mg/ml)
intramuscularly and orally dosed with adefovir dipivoxil (15 mg/kg) in
grape juice. Blood was collected at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and
24 h postadministration. Each animal was given subcutaneous fluids
to maintain fluid balance during the study period. Blood was collected
in heparinized tubes and placed on ice. Plasma was separated by
centrifugation within 30 min and frozen at
70°C until analysis.
Plasma was analyzed by reverse-phase ion-pair high-pressure liquid
chromatography with fluorescence derivatization (27).
Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using noncompartmental methods.
Drug preparation and dosing.
Adefovir dipivoxil was supplied
in tablet form by Gilead Sciences (Foster City, Calif.). The tablets
were ground into a fine powder, and the weighed drug was mixed into a
suspension with 3 ml of diluted grape juice concentrate. Animal doses
were prepared daily.
Animals were dosed daily. High-dose animals received 15 mg of adefovir
dipivoxil/kg of body weight, low-dose animals received 5 mg of adefovir
dipivoxil/kg, and controls received diluted grape juice. Each animal
was dosed orally using a feeding tube. Animals were observed to
determine that there was complete consumption of the dose.
Animals.
All animals were acclimated and housed in the
Laboratory Animal Resources Facility of the College of Veterinary
Medicine at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The animals were
allowed access to water ad libitum and were fed Agway (Richmond, Ind.) rabbit pellets (5p26) and Agway monkey chow (5049) ad libitum. A
photoperiod of 12 h of light and 12 h of dark was maintained. All procedures were performed as described in the currently approved Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocol.
Twelve wild-caught naturally infected WHV carrier woodchucks were
purchased from Northeastern Wildlife (S. Plymouth, N.Y.).
Six WHV
carrier animals from the NCSU woodchuck colony were also
used. Four of
these animals were wild caught and two were captive
bred. The
woodchucks were divided into three groups of six, but
one control
animal was removed from the study because its WHV
DNA level was below
the limit of detection by the hybridization
assay. All animals appeared
normal by physical examination and
complete blood counts. Five animals
had minor serum chemistry
abnormalities. One animal (HC212) had a
mildly elevated blood
urea nitrogen (BUN) level of 43 mg/dl and was
assigned to the
control group. Serum gamma glutamyltranspeptidase
levels, a measure
of the presence of liver neoplasia, were less than 10 IU/liter
in all of the high-dose animals and control animals. In the
low-dose
group, four animals (HC305, HC199, HC247, and HC197) had gamma
glutamyltranspeptidase levels that ranged from 14 to 41 IU/liter,
indicative of early hepatocellular neoplasia. None of the animals
exhibited physical signs or hematological abnormalities indicating
any
debility from tumor development during the course of the
study.
Liver biopsies.
Wedge liver biopsy samples were taken from
all high-dose animals and three control animals by laparotomy several
days before the drug trial started and on the last day of the recovery
period. The surgery was performed in the Central Procedures Laboratory of the College of Veterinary Medicine at NCSU. Animals were presedated with 0.2 ml of Innovar-Vet (fentanyl, 0.4 mg/ml; droperidol, 20 mg/ml;
Pittman-Moore, Mundelein, Ill.) and anesthesia was maintained by
isoflurane inhalation. A total dose of oxymorphone (0.02 mg/kg intramuscularly; Mallinckrodt, Mundelein, Ill.) was administered for control of postoperative pain. Each animal was given subcutaneous fluids to maintain fluid balance during the surgery and recovery periods. The liver sample was placed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histological examination.
Histopathology.
Fixed liver was processed routinely into
paraffin. Embedded liver was sectioned at a 6-µm thickness and
stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Liver injury was evaluated on a
subjective scale that has been described previously (22).
Inflammation was the major determinant, with other factors such as
necrosis, vacuolization, biliary hyperplasia, and variation in nuclear
size influencing the degree of injury.
Blood samples.
Animals were sedated with 0.2 ml of ketamine
(100 mg/ml; Fort Dodge Laboratories, Fort Dodge, Iowa) and 0.5 ml of
acepromazine maleate (10 mg/ml) intramuscularly for blood collection.
Blood samples were collected 6 weeks prior to the study (2 weeks prior to the study for the three control animals and the three low-dose animals transferred from the colony). Blood samples were also collected
at day 0 and weeks 2, 4, 12, and 18. Serum chemistry was determined by
an automatic analyzer (Monarch, Lexington, Mass.) maintained by the
Clinical Pathology Laboratory of the College of Veterinary Medicine at
NCSU. A panel of enzyme and biochemical parameters was run in order to
monitor organ function and to screen for toxic effects of the test
compound. The liver-related enzymes sorbitol dehydrogenase and alanine
aminotransferase were monitored. Venous blood samples for analysis of
bicarbonate levels were collected into heparin-containing tubes, placed
immediately on ice, and analyzed on a blood gas instrument (Gempremier
Plus; Instrument Laboratory, Lexington, Mass.). Samples for
blood lactate levels were collected in sodium fluoride-containing tubes
and placed on wet ice immediately. Samples were then centrifuged and
plasma was removed within 15 min of collection. Also, whole blood was collected into EDTA-containing tubes and submitted for complete blood
counts. Complete blood counts were performed on an automatic analyzer
(Serono Baker, Allentown, Pa.), in the Clinical Pathology Laboratory of
the College of Veterinary Medicine at NCSU.
Analysis of variance with Dunnett's comparisons was performed to test
for significant differences between adefovir dipivoxil-treated
groups
and controls for each parameter at each time point. When
the data were
found to deviate from normality assumptions, the
ranks of the data
rather than the values themselves were analyzed.
P values
less than or equal to 0.05 were considered statistically
significant.
Slot blot analysis of serum DNA.
For analysis of WHV DNA,
whole blood was collected into glass tubes without anticoagulant and
allowed to clot at room temperature. Serum was collected and frozen at
70°C until analysis. WHV DNA was extracted from 200 µl of serum
and eluted into 200 µl of Tris buffer (10 mM, pH 8.5) using a QIAamp
blood kit (Qiagen, Valencia, Calif.). The probe was an
EcoRI-digested WHV2 genome (3.32 kb) labeled with
digoxigenin-II-dUTP (DIG High Prime DNA labeling detection starter kit
II; Boehringer Mannheim, Indianapolis, Ind.). The WHV DNA standard used
as a control was whole WHV2 genomic DNA linearized with
EcoRI. Ten microliters of extracted DNA solution was
denatured with 30 µl of denaturing buffer at 65°C for 40 min and
was loaded on each slot. Denatured DNA was fixed to a nylon filter
(Nytran; Schleicher & Schuell, Keene, N.H.) by a UV cross-linking method. The filter and probe were incubated together, and after washing, the membranes were immediately scanned using the Lumi-Imager (Boehringer Mannheim) to generate a numerical value for the strength of
the hybridization signal. To establish the linear range for the
analysis, a standard curve relating the unit of measurement (Boehringer
light units) versus DNA values ranging from 0.01 to 300 pg of WHV DNA
was generated (Fig. 1). The analysis was
linear over the range of input WHV DNA with an
R2 of 0.97. The lowest level of
detection of the assay was determined to be 0.06 pg of WHV DNA by
review of background versus DNA standard dilutions. The estimated
sensitivity of this assay was 6 pg of WHV DNA/ml, or 2 × 106 genome equivalents/ml.

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FIG. 1.
Regression analysis of the relationship of WHV DNA
levels to detection units. BLU, Boehringer light units.
|
|
For analysis, all samples were run in triplicate and the geometric mean
and standard deviation were established. Extracted
negative and
positive sera and several dilutions of standard DNA
(0.01, 0.03, 0.06, and 0.1 ng of DNA) were included on each membrane.
The standard curve
was established using the analysis program
provided by Boehringer
Mannheim. The prestudy and time zero values
were used to get a baseline
geometric mean for each animal. The
log fold reduction at each time
point was calculated as the baseline
value minus the value at that time
point. During the course of
treatment, the serum WHV DNA level for each
animal was compared
to the pretreatment level to determine the fold
reduction of viral
DNA levels. The geometric mean of the log fold
reduction values
was calculated for each group at each time point.
Geometric mean
fold reduction (or increase) was calculated as
10
log fold reduction where log fold reduction is
>0 and

1 · (10
log fold
reduction) where log fold reduction is <0.
A mean reduction for each group was determined for each time point as
the mean of the individual animal values. Analysis of
variance was
performed to compare the log fold reduction values
among the groups.
Pairwise contrasts were also performed to test
for differences between
controls and each of the adefovir dipivoxil
groups. Any
P
value less than or equal to 0.05 was reported as
significant.
 |
RESULTS |
Pharmacokinetics.
Following oral administration of adefovir
dipivoxil, the mean maximum concentration of adefovir in serum was
0.462 µg/ml, with a mean apparent half-life of 10.2 h (ranging
from 5.6 to 20.9 h) (Fig. 2). The
oral bioavailability of adefovir in woodchucks was estimated to be
22.9% (±11.2%). In the absence of any evidence for species-specific
differences in drug metabolism, an area under the concentration-time
curve for intravenous administration of 17.6 µg · h/ml
was obtained using allometric scaling of plasma clearance of adefovir
versus body weight.

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FIG. 2.
Plasma concentration-versus-time profiles for adefovir
in individual animals following oral administration of 15 mg of
adefovir dipivoxil/kg to WHV-infected woodchucks.
|
|
Serum WHV DNA.
Results from the analysis of serum WHV DNA for
all groups are summarized in Fig. 3. The
fold reductions are shown in Table 1.
There was a marked (>1.6 log10) diminution in
serum WHV DNA levels by the second week of treatment compared to the
average pretreatment levels in all high-dose animals. At 2 weeks, a
>10-fold reduction occurred in five of six low-dose animals, but no
reduction was seen in one of the animals. Viral levels were reduced
progressively during the 12-week course of therapy in all animals. In
the high-dose group, the WHV DNA levels were reduced >65-fold (>1.8
log10) at 4 weeks and >300-fold (>2.5
log10) after 12 weeks of treatment. Two animals
(HC307 and HC299) had reductions to the lower limits of detection (0.06 pg of WHV DNA). In the low-dose woodchucks, WHV DNA levels were reduced
by >6-fold at 2 weeks and >45-fold (>1.6
log10) after 12 weeks of treatment. Three animals
(HC199, HC247, and HC197) had reductions to the lower limit of
detection. WHV viral DNA levels returned to pretreatment levels within
6 weeks after drug administration stopped. In the low-dose group, the
serum WHV DNA level in one animal (HC305) did not appear to be reduced
at 2 weeks. Review of this sample suggested that there had been
evaporative loss during storage that may have concentrated the viral
DNA, producing an erroneous elevation in DNA level. There was a minimal
2.4-fold (0.38 log10) rise in serum WHV DNA levels in the control animals during the course of treatment, but this
was within the expected range of normal variation.

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FIG. 3.
Anti-WHV activity of adefovir dipivoxil administered
orally to WHV-infected woodchucks for 12 weeks.
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|
Hematology and clinical chemistry.
There were no clinically
relevant changes in the hematology or clinical chemistry of any the
animals based on treatment. Statistical analysis revealed no consistent
evidence of or trends in the alteration of organ function or bone
marrow activity detected based on treatment. The blood lactate levels
and bicarbonate levels were similar in treated and control animals.
One animal in the control group (HC212) had a moderate elevation in
serum BUN levels (approximately 40 mg/dl) throughout the
study and
creatinine levels that increased slightly during the
course of the
study. There were no statistically significant differences
in BUN
levels between groups. Creatinine levels were lower in
the high-dose
animals in week 18, but the difference was not clinically
relevant.
Physical observations.
All animals appeared to be in general
good health and were bright, alert, and responsive during the study.
Several high-dose (15 mg/kg) animals (HC298, HC299, and HC307) and two
low-dose (5 mg/kg) animals (HC197 and HC247) developed focal cheilitis during the course of treatment. HC298 and HC197 developed lesions within 3 to 5 weeks, and HC299, HC307, and HC247 developed lesions within 8 to 9 weeks. The cheilitis was characterized by erythematous, erosive lesions on the lateral aspect of the mouth. Affected animals salivated excessively. The lesions resolved within several days once
drug administration was discontinued. Animal body weights were not
affected by drug treatment.
Liver histopathology.
Hematoxylin-and-eosin-stained liver
biopsy samples from all six high-dose animals and three control animals
(HC212, HC296, and HC306) collected at day 0 and week 18 were examined
(Table 2). The initial liver samples of
the high-dose (15-mg/kg/day) woodchucks were characterized by mild to
moderate lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates of the portal areas and multiple
small inflammatory foci within the parenchyma consistent with chronic
WHV infection. Other features of the livers (i.e., vacuolization and
necrosis) were within normal limits for chronically WHV-infected
woodchucks. One high-dose (15-mg/kg) woodchuck (HC303) had evidence of
infection with Taenia crassiceps characterized by cysticerci
that were free in the peritoneal cavity and occasionally embedded in
the hepatic parenchyma.
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TABLE 2.
Liver biopsy histology for high-dose and control
woodchucks prior to and 6 weeks following drug treatment
|
|
The posttreatment biopsy samples were similar to the pretreatment
samples except that the intensity of hepatic inflammation
was
diminished slightly in four of the high-dose animals (HC298,
HC299,
HC303, and HC307). There was no histologic evidence of
toxic hepatic
injury to the livers of any of the animals. One
of the high-dose
animals (HC303) had a moderate increase in macrovesicular
and
microvesicular vacuolization of hepatocytes that was attributed
to a
marked infection with cestode (
T. crassiceps) cysticerci
that filled the abdominal cavity and involved the liver parenchyma
at
the time of the second liver
biopsy.
One of the control woodchucks (HC296) had mild inflammation at the
first biopsy, and there was moderate to intense inflammation
in a
second animal (HC212). The posttreatment biopsy results for
HC296 were
the same as the initial biopsy results. There was a
moderate reduction
in inflammation in the biopsy sample from HC212.
No other significant
histologic changes were
noted.
 |
DISCUSSION |
This study has demonstrated the potent dose-related
antihepadnaviral efficacy of oral adefovir dipivoxil in chronically
WHV-infected woodchucks. Serum WHV DNA levels were reduced by more than
2.5 logs in woodchucks that received 15 mg of adefovir dipivoxil/kg daily and more than 1.6 logs in those treated with 5 mg of adefovir dipivoxil/kg daily in the course of 12 weeks of treatment. Diminution of serum WHV levels was evident within 14 days, at the first sample period. Viral levels remained suppressed throughout the course of
treatment and rebounded to pretreatment levels once drug exposure was
discontinued. These findings are in accord with studies in WHV-infected
primary hepatocytes, duck HBV-infected ducks, HBV-expressing cell
lines, and HBV-infected humans (5, 9,13, 24, 32). Although
direct comparisons are not possible because of different dosage
regimens and methods of analysis, the antiviral activity of adefovir in
chronically WHV-infected woodchucks appears to be similar to activities
of other antihepadnaviral nucleoside analogs, such as emtricitabine,
adenine-5'-arabinoside monophosphate (Ara-AMP), famciclovir, and
zidovudine (6, 18, 22).
Although adefovir has a potent and selective activity against
hepadnavirus and retrovirus replication (3, 10, 32) it is
not absorbed well from the digestive tract because of limited intestinal permeativity of the phosphonate group, which is charged at
physiologic pH (25). The prodrug, adefovir dipivoxil, is better absorbed than adefovir in several animal species, including humans, nonhuman primates, dogs, and rats (3, 7, 8, 27). The oral bioavailability of adefovir dipivoxil in woodchucks was quite
similar to that in humans and the other species despite the differences
in the anatomy of the digestive tracts. As a result, a single daily
oral dose was sufficient to reduce serum WHV DNA levels and to maintain
the reduction during the course of therapy.
The antiviral efficacy of nucleoside analogues is usually evident
within 1 or 2 weeks of treatment in vivo; however, toxic effects can
develop when treatment is extended beyond several weeks. Long-term
treatment with Ara-AMP can lead to neuropathy, and long-term ribavirin
can lead to disturbed erythropoietic activity (20, 30).
WHV-infected woodchucks treated with fialuridine had a marked reduction
in serum WHV DNA within 1 to 2 weeks of treatment. Toxicity was not
evident in treated woodchucks until they had been exposed for
approximately 8 weeks, after which time lethal liver damage ensued
(31). Fialuridine-treated patients have also experienced
severe toxic effects (23). In order to assess the risk of
delayed toxicity in this study, adefovir dipivoxil was administered to
woodchucks for 12 weeks and animals were monitored for an additional 6 weeks after treatment. Analysis of a broad series of serum biochemical
analytes, targeting liver and renal function in particular, showed no
evidence of clinically significant toxicity in treated woodchucks. In
addition to standard serum biochemistry, serum bicarbonate and lactate
levels were measured in all the woodchucks because the levels of these
analytes have been abnormal in patients with fialuridine-induced
hepatic mitochondrial damage (4). In clinical studies with
high doses of adefovir dipivoxil (60 and 120 mg daily) for the
treatment of HIV infection, the most frequent adverse events were a
mild nephrotoxicity characterized by elevated serum creatinine and/or
hypophosphatemia that was reversible upon dose discontinuation.
In ongoing clinical studies for the treatment of HBV infection, a
much lower daily dose of 10 mg is being tested and serum creatinine and
phosphate levels are being monitored closely. In the woodchuck study,
there were no clinically relevant or statistically significant changes
in serum creatinine or serum phosphate at week 12 compared to those in
control animals, suggesting that there is no evidence of nephrotoxicity in woodchucks treated with these relatively high doses. There was no
evidence of clinically significant abnormalities in the hematological data from the adefovir dipivoxil-treated woodchucks. Importantly, serum bicarbonate remained within normal limits, thus showing no evidence of metabolic acidosis. Also, there was no
evidence of the marked treatment-related microvesicular and macrovesicular vacuolization seen in fialuridine-treated woodchucks or
humans in the livers of high-dose (15 mg of adefovir dipivoxil/kg daily) woodchucks after the recovery period (16, 31).
The pathogenesis of the cheilitis is unclear. Irritation of the lips
appeared to be related to exposure to the adefovir, since it
occurred only in the animals that were treated and resolved quickly when exposure was discontinued. Physical trauma seems unlikely since the animals accepted the drug in grape juice without reluctance. Although it is possible that there was a direct irritant effect of the drug to the mucous membranes, this seems unlikely in view
of the fact that there were no lesions in the oral cavity of any of the
animals. Possibly there was more salivation in response to the drug
that led to persistent moisture and a secondary bacterial dermatitis at
the commissural region of the lips that led to the cheilitis.
In summary, adefovir dipivoxil was shown to be an effective
antihepadnaviral agent in chronically WHV-infected feral woodchucks. Serum WHV DNA levels were markedly suppressed in a dose-related fashion
during 12 weeks of treatment. The oral bioavailability of the prodrug,
adefovir dipivoxil, was sufficient to permit an efficacious single
daily oral administration regime. There was no evidence of toxicity
during the 12-week treatment period or during the 6-week follow-up
period. Continued development of adefovir dipivoxil for the treatment
of chronic hepatitis B in patients is warranted.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
We appreciate the careful review of the manuscript by Frank
Richardson and Mick Hitchcock.
Funds for the support of this study were provided by Gilead Sciences.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: College of
Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27606. Phone: (919) 513-6350. Fax: (919) 513-6455. E-mail: john_cullen{at}ncsu.edu.
 |
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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, October 2001, p. 2740-2745, Vol. 45, No. 10
0066-4804/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.45.10.2740-2745.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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