Hepatitis C
EASL 2010: PROTECT Study Finds One-third of Liver Transplant Patients Achieve Sustained Response to Pegylated Interferon plus Ribavirin
- Details
- Category: Approved HCV Drugs
- Published on Tuesday, 04 May 2010 12:56
Combination therapy with pegylated interferon alfa-2b (PegIntron) plus ribavirin led to sustained virological response (SVR) in about 30% of hepatitis C patients after liver transplantation, according to final results from the PROTECT study reported at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna. A similar proportion, however, were unable to complete therapy due to adverse events.
HCV Polymerase Inhibitor IDX184, Protease Inhibitor IDX320 and Triple Combination Show Promising Antiviral Activity
- Details
- Category: Experimental HCV Drugs
- Published on Tuesday, 04 May 2010 00:00
Two investigational direct-acting drugs for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection -- the polymerase inhibitor IDX184 and the protease inhibitor IDX320 -- demonstrated good antiviral activity in a Phase 2a clinical trial and in laboratory and animal studies, respectively, researchers reported at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna. Another in vitro study showed that these 2 drugs plus IDX375 (another polymerase inhibitor that works a different way) or an experimental NS5A inhibitor exhibited enhanced or synergistic viral suppression.
Chronic Hepatitis C Complications are Increasing, Especially among People Older than 60 Years
- Details
- Category: HCV Disease Progression
- Published on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 14:02
The proportion of people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who will develop advanced liver disease including cirrhosis, decompensation, and liver cancer is likely to increase over the next 10-20 years as people infected decades ago reach the stage of developing advanced disease; these complications are expected to be especially common among people over age 60. But more widespread treatment could significantly lower projected rates of disease progression, according to a study published in the February 2010 issue of Gastroenterology.
HCV NS5A Inhibitor BMS-790052 Suppresses Viral Replication in Combination with Pegylated Interferon/ribavirin
- Details
- Category: Experimental HCV Drugs
- Published on Friday, 30 April 2010 00:00
BMS-790052, Bristol-Myers Squibb's investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A inhibitor, demonstrated potent early antiviral activity at 4 and 12 weeks when combined with the standard regimen of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in previously untreated patients with HCV genotype 1, investigators reported at the at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) this month in Vienna.
Older Hepatitis C Patients Have More Side Effects from Interferon-based Therapy, but Many Can Achieve Sustained Response
- Details
- Category: HCV Treatment
- Published on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 14:02
Chronic hepatitis C patients age 65 or older may experience more adverse events and have a higher rate of treatment discontinuation than late middle-aged people when using pegylated interferon plus ribavirin, according to a study from Taiwan published in the March 1, 2010 Journal of Infectious Diseases. Nevertheless, half of older patients with HCV genotype 1 and nearly 80% of those with genotypes 2 or 3 achieved sustained virological response.
EASL 2010: World Hepatitis Alliance Releases Major Report on Viral Hepatitis Policy at EASL Meeting
- Details
- Category: Hepatitis B
- Published on Tuesday, 20 April 2010 12:55
In conjunction with the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last week in Vienna, the World Hepatitis Alliance released its first major policy report on viral hepatitis, focusing on hepatitis B and C. Based on research commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), the report describes global responses to the urgent public health issue of viral hepatitis, finding that many counties lack national prevention and management policies even though 10 times more people have hepatitis B and C than HIV/AIDS.
Antibiotic Rifaximin Maintains Remission of Hepatic Encephalopathy in People with Advanced Liver Disease
- Details
- Category: HCV Disease Progression
- Published on Friday, 26 March 2010 13:49
Treatment with the antibiotic rifaximin maintained remission from hepatic encephalopathy, or brain impairment, better than placebo in people with advanced liver disease, according to a report in the March 25, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine. The drug was well tolerated overall, and patients taking rifaximin were less likely to be hospitalized than placebo recipients.
Investigational HCV Inhibitor TMC435 Demonstrates Promising Safety and Efficacy in Phase 1 Study
- Details
- Category: Experimental HCV Drugs
- Published on Friday, 02 April 2010 14:02
Tibotec's investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitor TMC435 demonstrated good antiviral activity and appeared to be safe and generally well-tolerated in a Phase 1 placebo-controlled clinical trial, according to a report in the March 2010 Gastroenterology.
CROI 2010: IL28B Gene Variation Linked to Spontaneous Clearance and Treatment Response in HIV/HCV Coinfected People
- Details
- Category: HCV Treatment
- Published on Friday, 12 March 2010 12:48
A human genetic variation previously shown to predict hepatitis C prognosis in people with HCV alone may play a similar role in HIV/HCV coinfected individuals, according to a set of studies presented at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2010) last month in San Francisco. The IL28B non-risk genotype associated with both spontaneous HCV clearance and response to interferon-based hepatitis C treatment was less common among people of African descent, perhaps helping explain disparities in treatment outcomes.
More Articles...
- CROI 2010: Moderate Liver Fibrosis Predicts Disease and Death in HIV/HCV Coinfected People, but Successful Treatment Appears Protective
- CROI 2010: Hepatitis C Virus Can Survive in Syringes Up to 2 Months under Favorable Conditions
- Can Some Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Benefit from Shorter Interferon-based Treatment?
- MIT and Rockefeller University Researchers Develop Method for Growing Hepatitis C Virus in Healthy Human Liver Cells
- Liver Transplant Do Not Impair Immune Response in HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients
Web Design and Development by