diff --git a/lib/rpmlib.h b/lib/rpmlib.h
index bb0d86c..1e4c9b3 100644
--- a/lib/rpmlib.h
+++ b/lib/rpmlib.h
@@ -103,6 +103,22 @@ int headerNVR(Header h,
 		/*@null@*/ /*@out@*/ const char ** rp)
 	/*@modifies *np, *vp, *rp @*/;
 
+/** \ingroup header
+ * Return name, version, release, and disttag strings from header.
+ * @param h		header
+ * @retval *np		name pointer (or NULL)
+ * @retval *vp		version pointer (or NULL)
+ * @retval *rp		release pointer (or NULL)
+ * @retval *dp		disttag pointer (or NULL)
+ * @return		0 always
+ */
+int headerNVRD(Header h,
+		/*@null@*/ /*@out@*/ const char ** np,
+		/*@null@*/ /*@out@*/ const char ** vp,
+		/*@null@*/ /*@out@*/ const char ** rp,
+		/*@null@*/ /*@out@*/ const char ** dp)
+	/*@modifies *np, *vp, *rp, *dp @*/;
+
 /** \ingroup header
  * Return name, epoch, version, release, arch strings from header.
  * @param h		header
diff --git a/rpmdb/hdrNVR.c b/rpmdb/hdrNVR.c
index 9e593bf..89d4705 100644
--- a/rpmdb/hdrNVR.c
+++ b/rpmdb/hdrNVR.c
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@
 #include "rpmlib.h"
 #include "debug.h"
 
-int headerNVR(Header h, const char **np, const char **vp, const char **rp)
+int headerNVRD(Header h, const char **np, const char **vp, const char **rp,
+	       const char **dp)
 {
     int type;
     int count;
@@ -27,10 +28,20 @@ int headerNVR(Header h, const char **np, const char **vp, const char **rp)
 	    && type == RPM_STRING_TYPE && count == 1))
 		*rp = NULL;
     }
+    if (dp) {
+	if (!(headerGetEntry(h, RPMTAG_DISTTAG, &type, (void **) dp, &count)
+	      && type == RPM_STRING_TYPE && count == 1))
+		*dp = NULL;
+    }
 /*@=boundswrite@*/
     return 0;
 }
 
+int headerNVR(Header h, const char **np, const char **vp, const char **rp)
+{
+    return headerNVRD(h, np, vp, rp, NULL);
+}
+
 int headerNEVRA(Header h, const char **np,
 		/*@unused@*/ const char **ep, const char **vp, const char **rp,
 		const char **ap)