Hep B drug funded

New medication to help overcome drug resistance for people with hepatitis B will be Pharmac-funded from August 1.

Pharmac will fund entecavir (Baraclude) as a first line treatment option for people with hepatitis B, a viral infection that can cause potentially fatal liver disease.

Pharmac medical director Peter Moodie said the currently funded first line antiviral treatment lamivudine was initially highly effective, but over time the virus mutated and lamivudine's effectiveness reduced.