Abstract: Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of telbivudine and lamivudine in treatment of active cirrhosis resulting from chronic hepatitis B. Methods 65 patients with active cirrhosis resulting from hepatitis B were randomly divided into treatment group（30 cases）and control group（35 cases）. The treatment group received telbivudine 600 mg once daily and the control group received lamivudine 100 mg once daily on the basis of routine treatment for 72 weeks. Results Serum HBV DNA levels decreased，liver function improved，and the Child-Pugh scores lowered（P<0.05 or P<0.01）in both groups after the treatment；ALT normalization，HBV DNA and HBeAg loss in treatment group were 83.3%，86.7% and 44.4%，respectively，while they were 68.6%，68.6% and 35.0% in control（P>0.05）. Conclusion Telbivudine can inhibit HBV replication and improve liver function in patients with active cirrhosis resulting from hepatitis B.

Key words: Hepatitis B, Cirrhosis, Telbivudine, Lamivudine, Therapy