Oral treatment for hepatitis B gets approval in United States

The first oral treatment for hepatitis B infection has just received approval from an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration in the United States. Lamivudine (Epivir), also known as 3TC, is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that blocks viral replication and is currently used to combat AIDS.

Hepatitis B virus infects about 350 million people worldwide. No cure exists, and current strategies rely on vaccination or treatment …