Bristol Myers Squibb launches Baraclude in UK

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced the UK launch of Baraclude, an antiviral therapy indicated for the treatment of hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B patients demonstrating signs of liver disease and active viral replication will now be able to receive Baraclude on prescription.

The company claims the approval of the drug represents a new treatment option for patients chronically infected by the virus, accounting for 0.3 per cent of the UK population, according to figures from the Department of Health.

Professor Howard Thomas, head of the liver unit at St Mary’s hospital, said additional options were needed in treating hepatitis B patients.

He stated: “With Baraclude now available, we have an important new medication to treat chronic hepatitis B in the UK and lower patients’ viral load to undetectable levels, thereby reducing the risk of developing liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.”

Earlier trial data has shown that Baraclude has the ability to reduce hepatitis B viral loads to undetectable levels in 94 per cent of patients after 96 weeks of use, compared to 77 per cent in patients using lamivudine, marketed in the UK by GlaxoSmithKline as Epivir.

The British Liver trust approximates that around one in 1,000 people in the UK are infected with the virus.

Additionally, as many as one in 50 pregnant women may be affected by the disease in inner city areas, the charity claims. The hepatitis B virus is commonly transferred by having unprotected sex, or through the blood by the use of contaminated instruments.