Hepatitis B Catch-Up Clinic — Whakatāne 

The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand is holding a special catch-up clinic for patients in the Eastern Bay of Plenty who are overdue for their regular liver monitoring blood tests.  Monitoring blood tests are important - they allow us to check for early signs of liver disease such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, which often have no symptoms until they are advanced. 

Clinic details 

Dates & times: 

• Tuesday 23 June (9am - 5:30pm) 

• Wednesday 24 June (8am – 5pm) 

• Thursday 25 June (8am – 1:30pm) 

• Location: Hepatitis Foundation, 61 Alexander Avenue, Whakatāne 

• Nurse: Helen Purcell (Hepatitis Nurse) 

To book a space, call us on 0800 33 20 10 or email hepteam@hfnz.nz. 

Everyone who comes in for their blood test will receive a one-off $50 Pak n Save voucher as a thank you. 

Research study — TAP® Micro Select device Optional 

The Hepatitis Foundation is working with Orbis Diagnostics to trial a new blood collection device called the TAP® Micro Select. This is a research study - the device is not yet in standard use. 

The TAP® device collects a small sample of blood from the upper arm using a brief touch. It takes about 1–1.5 minutes, is virtually painless, and may leave a small ring mark or bruise. It tests for the same things as your regular blood test - Hepatitis B surface antigen, Hepatitis B antibodies, and Hepatitis B core antibody. 

We want to find out whether this device works as well as a standard blood draw. If it does, it could make regular monitoring easier for everyone living with HBV. 

Taking part in the study is entirely your choice. If you agree to take part, you will be asked to sign a consent form on the day. You can decide not to take part and your regular blood test and voucher will not be affected in any way. 

This clinic is only for your usual hepatitis monitoring - we are not testing for anything else. 

About Orbis Diagnostics and the study 

Orbis Diagnostics is a New Zealand company developing a new point-of-care blood test for Hepatitis B. The test — called the HBV Triplex Assay — can detect three key markers from a single small blood sample, telling us whether someone has an active HBV infection, a resolved infection, vaccine-induced immunity, or no immunity at all. The goal is to make quality HBV testing available in community settings, without needing a hospital or laboratory. 

The study is a research collaboration between Orbis Diagnostics and the University of Auckland, led by Professor Cather Simpson. The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand is a partner in recruiting participants. 

About the study 

The study is comparing two ways of collecting blood for the HBV Triplex Assay — a small microsampler device applied to the upper arm, and a standard venous blood draw. Researchers want to know whether both methods give the same results. If they do, the test could eventually be used in community clinics and other accessible settings without needing a trained phlebotomist. 

At your clinic visit you will provide two types of blood samples. The microsample is collected using the TAP® Micro Select device, which is pressed briefly against your upper arm — it takes about 1–1.5 minutes, is virtually painless, and may leave a small ring mark or bruise. A standard venous blood draw will also be taken. One venous sample will be tested by Orbis; a second will be sent to Awanui Laboratories using an established gold standard test (Roche Elecsys®) so the results can be compared. 

Your results from the Awanui gold standard test will be made available to you through your clinician. Results from the Orbis test will not be used for your clinical care at this stage, as the assay is still under development. 

The University of Auckland holds overall responsibility for the study, including participant safety and data privacy. All data is stored securely and in line with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.