NCIt definition : A synthetic pyrimidine analogue with activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV). Intracellularly,
clevudine is phosphorylated to its active metabolites, clevudine monophosphate and
triphosphate. The triphosphate metabolite competes with thymidine for incorporation
into viral DNA, thereby causing DNA chain termination and inhibiting the function
of HBV DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase). Clevudine has a long half-life and
shows significant reduction of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), therefore
the patient is less likely to have a relapse after treatment is discontinued.;