Soluble gp80 and/or gp130 receptor sites sufficient to inhibit the binding of hIL6 to hepatocytes and other HBV-permissive cells

摘要

A pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is described. It comprises an amount of a soluble active agent which interacts with at least one of the binding sites between human interleukin 6 (hIL6) and the pre-S1 (pS1) region of the viral envelope protein and between hIL6 and hepatocytes and other HBV-permissive cells is described. The active agent is present in an amount sufficient to competitively bind to at least one of the sites and thereby to prevent hIL6-mediated HBV infection of hepatocytes and other HBV-permissive cells.