BARACLUDE data show low resistance over 5 years in nucleoside-naive hepatitis B patients

• The results in lamivudine-refractory patients in years one through five were consistent with the finding that the pre-existence of lamivudine-resistant substitutions resulted in an increase in the emergence of BARACLUDE resistance, with a cumulative probability of genotypic resistance of 51 percent through five years.
• In year five, 43 percent of lamivudine-refractory patients had virologic breakthrough with BARACLUDE resistance (n=33).
• During this resistance monitoring program, 72 of the 187 lamivudine-refractory patients achieved undetectable viral load ( < 300 copies/mL) and of these, three patients subsequently developed genotypic resistance to BARACLUDE.

Indication and Important Safety Information About BARACLUDE® (entecavir) 0.5 mg/1 mg Tablets

BARACLUDE® (entecavir) is a prescription medicine used for chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) in adults where the virus is multiplying and damaging the liver. BARACLUDE does not cure HBV or stop the spread of HBV to others. People should not take BARACLUDE if they are allergic to it or any of its ingredients. BARACLUDE has not been studied in children and is not recommended for anyone less than 16 years of age.

People taking BARACLUDE should tell their healthcare provider right away if they feel very weak or tired, have unusual muscle pain, have trouble breathing, have stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, feel cold -- especially in their arms and legs, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or have a fast or irregular heartbeat, as they may be signs of a serious condition called lactic acidosis (buildup of an acid in the blood). Lactic acidosis is a medical emergency and must be treated in the hospital. Some people who have taken medicines like BARACLUDE have developed serious liver problems called hepatotoxicity. This may occur with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) and fat in the liver (steatosis).

People should call their healthcare provider right away if they get any of the following signs of liver problems: yellowing (jaundice) of the skin or the white part of the eyes, darkening of the urine, lightening in the color of bowel movements (stools), not feeling like eating food for several days or longer, feeling sick to the stomach (nausea), or having lower stomach pain. Lactic acidosis and hepatotoxicity have happened in some people taking medicines like BARACLUDE.