Lamivudine plus tenofovir combination therapy versus lamivudine monotherapy for HBV/HIV coinfection: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no consensus on the efficacy and safety of lamivudine (LAM) plus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) combination therapy versus lamivudine monotherapy in HBV/HIV coinfected patients.

METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed in English and Chinese databases. Both relevant dichotomous and continuous variables were extracted, and the combined outcomes were expressed as a risk ratio (RR) or a standard mean difference (SMD).

RESULTS: Eleven eligible studies were included in our analysis. For HBV-relevant outcomes, the proportion of patients with undetectable HBV, the rates of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) loss were higher in the combination therapy group than the monotherapy group (RR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.14-1.76, P = 0.002; RR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.17-1.58, P < 0.0001; RR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.20-6.22, P = 0.02). In addition, the rate of HIV RNA-negative conversion was higher in the combination therapy group than the monotherapy group (RR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.11-1.42, P = 0.0003).

CONCLUSION: LAM plus TDF combination therapy was more efficacious than LAM monotherapy in HBV/HIV coinfected patients. As time passes, this difference becomes more pronounced.