Hepatitis C
Blood-boosting Adjuvant Therapies Can Improve Response to Interferon-based Treatment for Hepatitis C
- Details
- Category: Side Effects - HCV
- Published on Friday, 25 June 2010 13:36
Use of adjuvant medications such as hormones that stimulate red and white blood cell production allowed chronic hepatitis C patients receiving pegylated interferon plus ribavirin to stay on treatment longer and increased their likelihood of achieving sustained virological response, according to a study published in the April 1, 2010 Journal of Viral Hepatitis.
CDC Reports Increasing Incidence of Liver Cancer, Mostly Due to Chronic Hepatitis B and C
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- Category: Hepatitis C
- Published on Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:02
The number of new cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a type of primary liver cancer, has increased in the U.S. over the past several years, reaching an incidence rate of 3.2 cases per 100,000 persons in 2006, according to the latest figures reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the May 7, 2010 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Blacks and people in the 50-59 year age group had the largest annual percentage increases in HCC.
Rifaximin Reduces Encephalopathy Recurrence, Improves Quality of Life in People with Liver Cirrhosis
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- Category: Decompensation & ESLD
- Published on Friday, 28 May 2010 20:23
The broad-spectrum antibiotic rifaximin (Xifaxan) improves quality of life for people with liver cirrhosis who experience recurrent episodes of hepatic encephalopathy, or brain disease, according to research presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna. Another analysis from the same study indicated that rifaximin works by lowering the level of ammonia in the blood.
Hepatitis C Remains Uncommon Among HIV Negative Gay Men
- Details
- Category: HCV Sexual Transmission
- Published on Friday, 11 June 2010 00:00
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was uncommon, with a prevalence less than 1%, among more than 2000 gay and bisexual men screened at sexual health clinics in the U.K., according to a study reported in the May 2010 Journal of Infection. This is close to the rate of the general population in England, suggesting that recent outbreaks of acute hepatitis C among men who have sex with men is limited to those with HIV.
EASL 2010: Achillion Announces Additional Promising Data from Phase 1b Trial of HCV Protease Inhibitor ACH-1625
- Details
- Category: Experimental HCV Drugs
- Published on Friday, 21 May 2010 13:56
Achillion Pharmaceuticals this month announced further interim data from an ongoing Phase 1b trial of the company's investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease inhibitor ACH-1625. At the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna, researchers presented early data showing that in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C, ACH-1625 monotherapy at doses of 500 mg and 600 mg twice-daily for 5 days decreased HCV viral load by approximately 4 log and was generally well-tolerated with no drug-related serious adverse events. The latest data extend these findings to people taking doses of 200 mg twice-daily and 600 mg once-daily.
75% of Treatment-naive Genotype 1 Hepatitis C Patients Achieve Sustained Response with Telaprevir Combination, Most with 24 Weeks of Therapy
- Details
- Category: HCV Treatment
- Published on Tuesday, 08 June 2010 14:02
Vertex Pharmaceuticals recently released findings from the Phase 3 ADVANCE study showing that three-quarters of previously untreated chronic hepatitis C patients with HCV genotype 1 achieved sustained virological response (SVR) with a combination regimen consisting of the investigational HCV protease inhibitor telaprevir plus pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Standard therapy for genotype 1 hepatitis C lasts 48 weeks, but the majority of participants in this study achieved a cure with 24 total weeks of treatment (12 on triple therapy plus 12 on pegylated interferon/ribavirin alone). Telaprevir is the direct-acting oral HCV agent furthest along in development; Vertex has indicated that it expects to request U.S. regulatory approval in the second half of 2010.
EASL 2010: European Study Finds More than Half of HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients Do Not Receive Treatment despite Advanced Fibrosis
- Details
- Category: HCV Treatment
- Published on Tuesday, 11 May 2010 12:56
A majority of HIV positive individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection are not treated for hepatitis C for a variety of reasons ranging from patient choice to provider concerns about adherence, active substance use, or mental illness, according to a study presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna. The researchers noted, however, that studies demonstrate acceptable treatment success for such patients in real-life clinical practice.
Screening for Liver Cancer in HIV/HCV Coinfected People
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- Category: Liver Cancer/HCC
- Published on Friday, 28 May 2010 23:40
Nearly half of HIV/HCV coinfected individuals with liver cancer in an international study were never screened for hepatocellular carcinoma, but those who did undergo screening had their cancer detected at an earlier stage, leading to more effective treatment and improved survival, according to a report presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna.
EASL 2010: HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients with Acute Hepatitis C Are Equally Likely to Achieve Sustained Response with Interferon plus Ribavirin
- Details
- Category: Acute Hepatitis C
- Published on Friday, 07 May 2010 12:56
HIV positive people with acute hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin, and HIV negative people treated with pegylated interferon alone, had a similar likelihood of achieving rapid virological response (RVR) at week 4 and sustained virological response (SVR) after completing treatment, according to findings presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna. RVR was the best predictor of SVR, but HIV/HCV coinfected patients had larger HCV viral load reductions between weeks 4 and 12, suggesting that ribavirin promotes "third phase" viral decline.
More Articles...
- EASL 2010: PROTECT Study Finds One-third of Liver Transplant Patients Achieve Sustained Response to Pegylated Interferon plus Ribavirin
- HCV Polymerase Inhibitor IDX184, Protease Inhibitor IDX320 and Triple Combination Show Promising Antiviral Activity
- HCV NS5A Inhibitor BMS-790052 Suppresses Viral Replication in Combination with Pegylated Interferon/ribavirin
- EASL 2010: World Hepatitis Alliance Releases Major Report on Viral Hepatitis Policy at EASL Meeting
- Investigational HCV Inhibitor TMC435 Demonstrates Promising Safety and Efficacy in Phase 1 Study
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