The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7419 p359
23 September 2006

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New agents launched for chronic conditions

Two new medicines are available in the UK this week.

Patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, including those who no longer benefit from treatment with lamivudine, can now be treated with entecavir (Baraclude), a new nucleoside analogue, launched by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The launch follows successful phase III research, which showed a safety profile for the drug comparable to that of lamivudine, and revealed no evidence of viral resistance after 96 weeks of entecavir treatment (PJ, 20 May, p585).

The new antiviral is indicated for the treatment of adults with chronic HBV infection, who have compensated liver disease and evidence of active viral replication, persistently elevated serum alanine aminotransferase levels and histological evidence of active inflammation or fibrosis. Nucleoside-naive patients can take entecavir at any time in relation to food, at a dose of one 0.5mg entecavir tablet each day. Bristol-Myers Squibb recommends that lamivudine-refractory patients take a higher dose of entecavir (one 1mg tablet once daily) on an empty stomach.

The other medicine is an oral iron chelator for treating patients with iron overload due to blood transfusions. Deferasirox (Exjade), available from Novartis as a dispersible tablet in three strengths, is an alternative for patients who might otherwise require parenteral therapy — sometimes daily — with desferrioxamine mesilate.


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