Entecavir Beats Adefovir for Hepatitis B Treatment

A meta-analysis of 6 studies found that entecavir (Baraclude) was more effective than adefovir (Hepsera) for treatment-naive HBeAg positive Asian chronic hepatitis B patients.

Read more:

San Francisco Hepatitis C Task Force Issues Recommendations

The San Francisco Hepatitis C Task Force issued a final report in late January, calling on the city to take steps to improve prevention, care, and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Among the recommendations are expanded testing, establishment of a hepatitis C coordinator within the Department of Public Health, developing education and awareness campaigns, and opening a supervised safe infection facility.

Read more:

Hepatitis B Vaccination Dramatically Lowers Prevalence among U.S. Children

Children and adolescents in the U.S. today have a very low likelihood of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection thanks to widespread vaccination, according to an epidemiological study described in the March 1, 2011, Annals of Internal Medicine. Many adults remain vulnerable, however, underlining the importance of vaccination for at-risk groups.

Read more:

Uninfected Infants Born to HIV Positive Mothers May Have Impaired Immune Function

Infants born to mothers with HIV appear to be more susceptible to certain bacterial infections even if they are not HIV-infected themselves, according to research from South Africa published in the February 9, 2011 Journal of the American Medical Association. HIV-exposed children get fewer antibodies from their mothers through the placenta during gestation, but they show robust responses to vaccination, indicating that their own immune function is not impaired.

Read more:

Entecavir Approved in Europe for Hepatitis B Patients with Decompensated Liver Diseases

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced early this month that the European Commission -- the regulatory authority for the European Union -- approved entecavir (Baraclude) for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients with decompensated liver disease. The U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA) granted similar approval this past October.

Read more:

10 Million Injection Drug Users May Have Hepatitis B or C

Approximately 10 million injection drug users (IDUs) worldwide might be infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and more than 1 million may be living with hepatitis B, according to a meta-analysis of data from over 70 countries published in the July 28, 2011, advance online edition of The Lancet.

Read more:

New Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Test Helps Assess Treatment Response

Roche Diagnostics this week announced the launch of a new hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test to help clinicians evaluate patient response to treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Reduction or clearance of HBsAg is one indicator of good response, along with decreased HBV DNA viral load.

Read more:

World Hepatitis Day Gets Global Recognition

July 28 was recognized as World Hepatitis Day, garnering attention from news media worldwide.

The date was chosen to honor Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 1967 and later developed an effective vaccine and won the Nobel Prize.

Read more: