People living with hepatitis B are now able to get their medicine from any pharmacy, regardless of whether the medicine has been prescribed in a hospital or community setting. They will no longer need to travel to hospital-based pharmacies for their prescriptions to be filled.

Hepatitis Australia has welcomed this easier access to hepatitis B medicines which came into effect on 1 July.

Hepatitis Australia Acting Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Marriott, said this change "marks a huge step forward" in increasing hepatitis B treatment rates in Australia which are "lamentably low". He said only five per cent of the estimated 225,000 Australians living with hepatitis B are being treated.