You’re invited to the 2024 Hepatitis B Foundation Gala on April 5, 2024 in Warrington, PA. Details here.

HBF Reports and Publications

The Hepatitis B Foundation and Blumberg Institute have produced the following reports and manuscripts toward the elimination of hepatitis B and related scientific advances.

The Foundation's annual reports are posted here.

Journal articles recommended by our Emerging Scholars Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, which is a new service, are posted here.

A selection of recent, peer-reviewed journal articles and other scholarly publications that were written by 
Hepatitis B Foundation public health researchers and collaborators are posted here.

Below are additional publications aimed at supporting the elimination of hepatitis B.

Health-related quality of life for adults living with hepatitis B in the U.S.: a qualitative study, Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes (2021) Research led by the Hepatitis B Foundation adds important information about the quality of life impact of living with chronic hepatitis B. The team conducted in-depth interviews with a sample of 19 individuals living with chronic hepatitis B. The study found that the psychological impact of chronic hepatitis B on study participants’ quality of life was considerable and contributed to depression, anxiety, homelessness, drug use and incarceration. The study results support the hypothesis that chronic hepatitis B impacts quality of life and often negatively affects emotional health. Findings suggest it would be beneficial to include quality of life assessment in the medical management of hepatitis B, to improve quality of life for those living with hepatitis B.

Cure Everyone and Vaccinate the Rest: The Patient Perspective on Future Hepatitis B TreatmentJournal of Viral Hepatitis (2021) While many journal articles have been written about hepatitis B, it's uncommon for one to be so focused on the people living with hepatitis B. Through qualitative interviews, this team of Hepatitis B Foundation researchers explored treatment preferences for those living with chronic hepatitis B.

Many expressed a desire for drug therapies to not cause side effects that make them sick, for instance. Overall patients preferred treatment options that were user-friendly and didn’t require visiting infusion centers.

Cost and access to treatment was also a huge concern. Many individuals reported that they would try any potential functional cure that didn’t make them sick and was affordable and accessible.

The patient interviews provide valuable data about the quality of life of patients and how a functional cure will be transformative for them. The importance of understanding treatment preferences of people living with hepatitis B is stressed as new therapies are being developed. 

An Updated Assessment of Chronic Hepatitis B Prevalence Among Foreign-Born Persons Living in the United StatesHepatology (2021) Previous research has shown that there are about 0.42 million U.S. born individuals that have chronic hepatitis B. Unfortunately, though, there has not been a comprehensive analysis of the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B in foreign born individuals. The researchers in this study gathered articles published ranging from 2009-2019 that reported the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B in emigrants and in-country populations of 117 countries. 

Hepatitis B Virus Elimination in the U.S.: Time to Dismantle Barriers and Implement Solutions, Current Hepatology Reports (2021) The World Health Organization has challenged the health care and public health professionals to work toward eliminating hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as a threat by 2030, but the U.S. currently has fallen behind. This is due to various barriers, including the bureaucratic isolation of health care and public health services. The U.S. is failing to improve HBV screening and expand adult vaccination, so acute cases are increasing. Simple policy and guideline changes are recommended to allow the nation to decentralize and scale-up screening, vaccination and patient care.

Needs of Individuals Living With Hepatitis Delta Virus and Their Caregivers (2016-2019) Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a serious coinfection of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that is estimated to affect between 48 to 72 million people worldwide. Data are limited on the informational needs of people living with HDV.

Health Insurance Costs Impacting Shoppers Living with Hepatitis B (2020) This report is a resource to help people living with hepatitis B make informed decisions when choosing a health insurance plan. It can also be shared with policymakers to inform them of potentially discriminatory benefit plan designs in various states.

The Role of the Pharmacist in Preventing Hepatitis B in the Context of the Opioid Crisis, Preventing Chronic Diseases (2020)

The purpose of this document is to inform individuals that Hepatitis B is transmitted through infected blood and body fluids, and common routes of transmission include unprotected sexual contact, perinatal transmission, and injection drug use for example the Opioid Crisis. 

Profiling the circulating mRNA transcriptome in human liver diseaseOncotarget (2020) This report profiles the human circulating mRNA transcriptome in people with liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to determine whether mRNA analytes can be used as biomarkers of liver disease.

Protein phosphatase 1 catalyzes HBV core protein dephosphorylation and is co-packaged with viral pregenomic RNA into nucleocapsids, PLOS Pathogens (2020)
The purpose of this document is to identify RNA packaging into nucleocapsids sheds new light on the molecular mechanism of HBV replication and development of therapeutics to cure chronic HBV infection

Protecting the Rights of Health Care Students Living With Hepatitis B Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, Public Health Reports (2020)
The purpose of this document is to identify the issues of Living with HBV infection can mean living with stigma and discrimination.

Opportunities for Federal-Community Collaboration to Reduce Disparities in Hepatitis B: 2014-2016Hep B United (2020) The purpose of this document is to identify areas where Hep B United and other community-based coalitions can work with federal agencies and within their local coalition to further the priority areas identified in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Impact of Nail Salon Industry Policies and Regulations on Hepatitis B Awareness and Prevention, Hepatitis B Foundation (2019)
This report reviews results of an analysis of the nail salon occupational environment and culture, and identifies opportunities for state-level policy or regulatory interventions and community-based strategies to increase education, screening, prevention, and treatment for hepatitis B.

Roadmap for a CureHepatitis B Foundation (2017)
This report provides an overview of our research agenda, with information on priority research areas and potential funding.

Research Priorities for the Discovery of a Cure for Chronic Hepatitis B: Report of a WorkshopScience Direct (2017)
This publication summarizes the opinions of 30 experts in the fields of hepatitis B and liver cancer research convened by the Hepatitis B Foundation to identify projects they deemed important to the goal of finding a cure for chronic hepatitis B and D and the diseases with which these viral infections are associated.

Hepatitis B Foundation and FDA Meeting ReportHepatitis B Foundation (2017)
Representatives from the Hepatitis B Foundation and HBV Forum met with representatives from the US FDA in March 2017 to discuss clinical development of hepatitis B therapeutics.