Vemlidy

Vemlidy is an antiviral medicine for treating chronic (long-term) hepatitis B, an infectious disease that affects the liver.

This medicine is used in patients aged 12 years and older weighing at least 35 kg. It contains the active substance tenofovir alafenamide.

Vemlidy is available as 25 mg tablets which are taken by mouth (one tablet a day) with food.The patient will usually take their medicine for at least 6 to 12 months, and treatment may last several years.

Vemlidy can only be obtained with a prescription.

The active substance in Vemlidy, tenofovir alafenamide, works by stopping the hepatitis B virus in the liver from multiplying. It is converted in the body into its active compound tenofovir, which blocks the activity of reverse transcriptase, an enzyme made by the hepatitis B virus that allows it to reproduce itself in the cells it has infected.

Vemlidy reduces levels of hepatitis B virus in most patients. In a study of 426 patients with ‘e-antigen negative’ chronic hepatitis, 94% of patients on Vemlidy had very low levels of viral DNA after 48 weeks of treatment. This result was similar to that in patients taking another form of tenofovir (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) where 93% had very low viral DNA levels.

In a second study of 875 patients with ‘e-antigen positive’ chronic hepatitis, 64% of patients taking Vemlidy and 67% of those taking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate had very low levels of viral DNA after 48 weeks. These results suggest that the comparator medicine might be more effective in ‘e-antigen positive’ cases but differences seen are small.

The terms ‘e-antigen positive’ and ‘e-antigen negative’ refer to the presence or absence of e-antigen, a hepatitis B viral protein. If this protein is present, it means that the virus is multiplying rapidly and the viral load may be higher.

The most common side effects with Vemlidy are headache (11% of patients), nausea (6% of patients) and tiredness (6% of patients). For the full list of side effects and restrictions see the package leaflet.

Vemlidy suppresses levels of hepatitis B virus in the body, and its effectiveness is comparable to that of another tenofovir medicine (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate). With regard to its risks, the side effects of Vemlidy are manageable. In addition, Vemlidy is effective at a lower dose than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and may lead to reduced side effects in the kidneys and bones.

The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) therefore concluded that the benefits of Vemlidy outweigh its risks and recommended its approval in the EU.

Recommendations and precautions to be followed by healthcare professionals and patients for the safe and effective use of Vemlidy have been included in the summary of product characteristics and the package leaflet.

The European Commission granted a marketing authorisation valid throughout the European Union for Vemlidy on 9 January 2017.

For more information about treatment with Vemlidy, read the package leaflet (also part of the EPAR) or contact your doctor or pharmacist.