The Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences has developed a reagent for testing the drug resistance of hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to a leading researcher with the academy on Tuesday.

Based on technology of biological chips, the reagent is easier to use and more efficient as compared to the current DNA sequencing technology, said Wang Shengqi, who led the research team.

The reagent can detect drug-resistant strains of hepatitis B patients who have been taking lamivudine, a key treatment for the disease, as well as the mutation rate of HBV in the blood, he said.

Lamivudine is an effective and popular drug for treating hepatitis B, but there has been growing concern about the tolerance of HBV to the drug.

The reagent was approved by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) this month, and has been put into production by a Shenzhen-based company, he said.

HBV is one of the major sources of infection on the globe. Each year, 1 to 2 million people die of HBV infections. China now has about 40 million hepatitis B patients and approximately 140 million hepatitis B carriers, according to Wang.

Source: Xinhua