10-07-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
HKU launches clinical trial in Hong Kong to treat chronic hepatitis B patients
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has launched a clinical trial for a gene-related therapy aimed at treating chronic hepatitis B infection, giving patients hope for a cure in the future.
Professor Yuen Man-fung, chief of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at HKU's medical faculty, said on Thursday that existing medication for hepatitis B patients could only suppress the virus and had to be taken for decades.
He expected that the new treatment could enable patients to discontinue long-term medication.
'If we can suppress the virus and also eradicate the virus if possible, then the patients will not suffer or will have a minimal risk or lower risk of suffering from liver cancer development and cirrhosis or liver failure,' he said.
'And that obviously will bring hope … [to the] patients.'
Chronic hepatitis B affects more than 300 million people worldwide and is a primary cause of liver cirrhosis, cancer and liver failure. Around 6.2 per cent of the population of Hong Kong is affected by the condition.
