In contrast to nucleoside analogues, such as lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil, the virological and biochemical response to standard alpha-interferon has been shown to be durable after treatment discontinuation.In addition, standard alpha-interferon leads to improved survival and reduction of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients.Pegylated interferons have shown to be effective in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients, but the durability of the response and long-term outcome of treatment have yet to be established.