A medication designed for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infections will be subsidised under the PBS at the start of next month.
Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) will be included on the PBS under the Section 100 Highly Specialised Drugs Program and will require private hospital authority.
Also indicated for the treatment of HIV, Viread can be prescribed for sufferers of hepatitis B (HBV) who either are treatment naive, have failed other antiviral treatment or show evidence of liver inflammation.
It does not requiring fasting or mealtime planning and comes in a once-a-day dose.
Associate Professor Simone Strasser from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney said Viread provided another option in the fight against chronic HBV, a potentially fatal condition which was significantly under-diagnosed in Australia.
"Chronic hepatitis B is a significant community issue with the incidence rate among Australians estimated to rise from 187,000 to 276,000 in the next decade," Assoc Prof Strasser said.
"Most people with chronic hepatitis B are infected by the time they reach their third birthday, but may remain unaware they have the disease for many years, until it begins to cause serious health issues."
Viread works by suppressing viral replication and, according to its manufacturer Gilead Sciences, clinical studies had shown that Viread reduced the virus to undetectable levels in 90 per cent of hepatitis B antigen negative patients and in 76 per cent of hepatitis B antigen positive patients.
"Any new medication designed to help people with chronic hepatitis B is very welcome – particularly one like Viread which, to date, has not resulted in any HBV resistance," director of liver services at Concord Hospital Dr Alice Lee said.