Hepatitis B Virus News and Research

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New technique for studying lifecycle of hepatitis B virus can help develop cure for disease

A new technique for studying the lifecycle of the hepatitis B virus could help researchers develop a cure for the disease.

5 Aug 2014

New pill-only antiviral drug regimens could cure hardest-to-treat hepatitis C

Two new pill-only antiviral drug regimens could provide shorter, more effective treatment options with fewer side effects for the majority of patients infected with hepatitis C, even those most difficult to treat, according to the results of two studies published in The Lancet.

29 Jul 2014

First systematic analysis indicates that about 1 in 3000 donors in England have HEV

The first systematic analysis of hepatitis E virus (HEV) transmission by blood components indicates that about 1 in 3000 donors in England have HEV in their plasma. The findings, published in The Lancet, suggest that around 1200 HEV-containing blood components (eg, red cells, platelets, and fresh frozen plasma) are likely to be transfused every year in England.

29 Jul 2014

Researchers provide global genotype prevalence estimates for HCV

In one of the largest prevalence studies to date, researchers from the U.K. provide national, regional, and global genotype prevalence estimates for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Findings published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, indicate that genotype 1 is the most prevalent worldwide, with over 83 million patients infected of which one-third reside in East Asia.

28 Jul 2014

Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Health approves hepatitis C drug telaprevir

The Chemistry, Food & Drugs Division of the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Health approved the introduction of Telaprevir to the market, an innovative therapy that significantly increases the cure rate from Hepatitis C, and it is indicated for patients infected with the genotype 1 virus. Telaprevir is available in Trinidad under the trade brand INCIVO®.

26 Jul 2014

RI Defeats Hepatitis C project aims to eliminate HCV in Rhode Island

Lynn E. Taylor, M.D., director of The Miriam Hospital's HIV/Viral Hepatitis Coinfection program, states in the July, 2014 Rhode Island Medical Journal special edition, "RI Defeats Hep C" that eliminating hepatitis c virus infection (hep c or HCV) is feasible, can provide economic benefits, enhance capacity to address other health challenges, and improve health care disparities.

26 Jul 2014

Tackling hepatitis C: an interview with Gaston Picchio, Global Hepatitis Disease Area Leader at Janssen

Gaston Picchio outlines the major findings of the recent report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU): ‘Tackling hepatitis C: Moving towards an integrated policy approach’

23 Jul 2014

Isis earns $1 million payment from GSK related to advancement of ISIS-TTRRx

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has earned a $1 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) related to the advancement of the Phase 2/3 study of ISIS-TTRRx in patients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP).

16 Jul 2014

Research roundup: 20M gain insurance, coverage's effect on surgery choices; opioid use by service members

This report aims to help readers understand recently announced enrollment numbers, as well as other numbers that have received less attention, and assess their importance for the future of the ACA and our health care system. .

4 Jul 2014

UCB, Dermira enter into licensing agreement for development, commercialization of Cimzia

UCB, a global biopharmaceutical leader, and Dermira, Inc., a privately held US-based dermatology company, announced today that they have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and future commercialization of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) in dermatology.

3 Jul 2014

New meta-analysis highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care

A new meta-analysis published online in PLOS ONE by infectious disease and epidemiology specialists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care that will prove useful as the U.S. health care system continues to see an influx of patients with the disease because of improved screening efforts and new, promising drugs.

3 Jul 2014

Isis Pharmaceuticals gets $1 million from GSK to discover and develop drugs for HBV

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has earned a $1 million payment from GlaxoSmithKline related to the advancement of its program to develop antisense drugs to treat hepatitis B virus (HBV).

2 Jul 2014

EMA CHMP adopts positive opinion for Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Daklinza for HCV treatment

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending that Daklinza (daclatasvir), an investigational, potent pan-genotypic NS5A complex inhibitor (in vitro), be granted approval for use in combination with other medicinal products for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in adults.

27 Jun 2014

HIV infection emerges among PWID in the Middle East and North Africa

HIV epidemics are emerging among people who inject drugs in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Though HIV infection levels were historically very low in the Middle East and North Africa, substantial levels of HIV transmission and emerging HIV epidemics have been documented among people who inject drugs in at least one-third of the countries of this region, according to findings published today in PLOS Medicine.

20 Jun 2014

Salmonella cases are not associated with Danish broiler meat, shows report

The number of Danes who contracted a salmonella infection reached a historic low level in 2013. More than half of those infected became ill during a trip abroad.

20 Jun 2014

Arrowhead Research joins with broad-market Russell 3000 Index

Arrowhead Research Corporation (NASDAQ: ARWR), a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted RNAi therapeutics, is set to join the broad-market Russell 3000 Index when Russell Investments reconstitutes its comprehensive set of U.S. and global equity indexes on June 27, according to a preliminary list of additions posted June 13 on www.russell.com/indexes.

16 Jun 2014

Health tips for global travellers

Nothing ruins a summer vacation faster than getting sick. "Remember that most diseases are transmitted by food, water and insects," says John A. Sellick, Jr., DO, University at Buffalo associate professor of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System. "So get vaccinated, keep insects off you as much as possible and be careful with what you put in your mouth."

11 Jun 2014

Alnylam announces new pre-clinical results with DC for ALN-CC5 to treat complement-mediated diseases

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today new pre-clinical results with its Development Candidate (DC) for ALN-CC5, a subcutaneously administered investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting complement component C5 in development for the treatment of complement-mediated diseases.

10 Jun 2014

Antiviral therapy may prevent hepatitis B virus from developing into hepatocellular carcinoma

Researchers have found that antiviral therapy may be successful in preventing hepatitis B virus from developing into the most common form of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

9 Jun 2014

Merck enters into definitive agreement with Idenix

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Merck will acquire Idenix for $24.50 per share in cash.