Viread is now also indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in adults. The drug is administered as a once-daily tablet, and works by blocking hepatitis B virus DNA polymerase, the enzyme that is necessary for the virus to replicate in liver cells. Viread has been available in the US as a treatment for HIV infection in adults since 2001.
Kevin Young, executive vice president of commercial operations at Gilead Sciences, said: “The approval of Viread for hepatitis B represents more than a decade of work in both the fields of HIV and hepatitis B to develop a medication that offers significant viral suppression, once-daily dosing and a well-established safety profile.”