Liver Disease News and Research

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The liver is one of the largest solid organs of the body. It is located in the upper right part of the abdomen. Most of the organ lies under cover of the rib cage.

Coffee reduces prostate cancer risk

In the 20-year study of almost 50,000 men, researchers noted that those who drank at least six cups a day were 20 per cent less likely to get prostate cancer than those who never took coffee. Strikingly, they were 60 per cent less likely than the non-coffee drinkers to die of the disease. The researchers also say that decaffeinated coffee is just as effective.

17 May 2011

PKC-delta enzyme critical for development of insulin resistance, diabetes and fatty liver

The road to type 2 diabetes is paved with insulin resistance, a condition often associated with obesity in which the hormone begins to fail at its job helping to convert sugars to energy.

17 May 2011

Merck receives FDA approval for Victrelis to treat chronic hepatitis C

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Victrelis (boceprevir) to treat certain adults with chronic hepatitis C. Victrelis is used for patients who still have some liver function, and who either have not been previously treated with drug therapy for their hepatitis C or who have failed such treatment.

16 May 2011

Pro-Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $2.7 million for first quarter 2011

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins to treat fibrosis and cancer, today reported its financial results for the first quarter, ended March 31, 2011.

13 May 2011

TFAH applauds HHS for new strategic approach to prevent viral hepatitis

The Trust for America's Health applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for unveiling a new strategic approach to dealing with the silent epidemic of viral hepatitis today.

13 May 2011

Novel two-drug combination cures young patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis

Belgian physicians report they have cured a young patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) using a novel two-drug combination developed by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The report, published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, marks the first known clinical use of this treatment for XDR-TB, the most deadly form of the disease.

11 May 2011

First study to look at birth-cohort screening outcomes for hepatitis C virus

New research indicates that screening people born between 1946 and 1970 for hepatitis C virus instead of current risk-based screening practices is cost effective and could lead to 106,000 fewer cases of advanced liver disease and 59,000 fewer HCV-related deaths. An estimated 1.6 million U.S. residents ages 40 to 64 are infected with HCV but do not know it.

10 May 2011

Merck launches 'Hope Against Hepatitis C' education program

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced the launch of Hope Against Hepatitis C, a company initiative to increase awareness, prevention and diagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection.

10 May 2011

Most parents feel bariatric surgery should not be available to kids under age 18

Just as cases of childhood obesity have skyrocketed in number over the last 40 years, so has children's risk for obesity-related illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease and other illnesses. Research shows a multitude of issues that contribute to the problem, but no single solution is clear.

10 May 2011

EAS receives NIH grant to continue Alzheimer's disease research

An estimated five million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. Health experts expect the number of cases to rise dramatically as the population ages - reaching 13.5 million by 2050.

10 May 2011

Innovative detection practices may prevent liver diseases

Research being presented at Digestive Disease Week- shows that screening individuals for hepatitis C based on age instead of conventional risk factors may help increase detection rates as well as prevent liver disease.

9 May 2011

Millennium presents VELCADE Phase III trial data in multiple myeloma at IMW meeting

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company today reported the presentation of results of a randomized Phase III trial that investigated the effect of consolidation with single-agent VELCADE for Injection in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients after autologous stem cell transplant.

7 May 2011

Millennium presents three studies in relapsed multiple myeloma at IMW meeting

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company today reported results from three studies in relapsed multiple myeloma. Two of the studies examined the use of VELCADE for Injection; the third study presents clinical data on MLN9708, the first investigational oral proteasome inhibitor.

6 May 2011

Targeting Aurora A gene could halt rhabdoid tumor growth in children

There are no effective treatments for rhabdoid tumors - aggressive childhood cancers that usually strike children under three years old and affect the brain or kidneys. The disease is extremely rare - fewer than 10 cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S. - but is particularly difficult to treat and almost always fatal.

6 May 2011

New antioxidant may prevent liver damage in chronic alcoholics

An antioxidant may prevent damage to the liver caused by excessive alcohol, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

3 May 2011

Watson launches Generess Fe low-dose oral contraceptives in the U.S.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the U.S. commercial launch of Generess Fe 0.8 mg/25 mcg, a new low-dose oral contraceptive option that's highly effective at preventing pregnancy and proven to provide users with short, lighter, predictable periods.

2 May 2011

Frequently hospitalized patients may need a specialist focused on their care: Hospital care expert

Declining rates of hospitalization have discouraged primary care doctors from seeing their patients in the hospital and encouraged the growing use of "hospitalists," a new physician specialty focused on the care of hospitalized patients.

30 Apr 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb first quarter net sales increase 5% to $3.3 billion

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced first quarter results that included strong sales and earnings growth, and several key R&D milestones—most notably U.S. regulatory approval for YERVOY. The company also confirmed guidance for the year.

30 Apr 2011

Neither vitamin E nor metformin reduces liver enzymes in children with fatty liver disease: Study

The largest study of its type has found that neither vitamin E, which is an antioxidant, nor the diabetes drug metformin, successfully reduced liver enzymes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children or teens, according to a paper published in the April 27, 2011 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

30 Apr 2011