Herpes News and Research

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Herpes is an infection caused by two different but closely related viruses — herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or cold sores and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) or genital herpes. Both are easy to catch. They have similar symptoms (blisters or sores) and both can occur on different parts of the body. When the infection is on the mouth, it is called oral herpes. When it is on or near the sex organs, it is called genital herpes. There is no cure for herpes. Treatments are available to speed up the healing of the genital sores.

T. gondii link to schizophrenia supported

Study results support an associated between maternal infection with Toxoplasma gondii and an increased risk for schizophrenia in offspring.

24 Jul 2012

Once-daily Gralise significantly reduces pain intensity in PHN patients

Depomed, Inc. today announced that a report of Phase 3 data published online this month, ahead of the print edition, in the Clinical Journal of Pain showed that once-daily Gralise (gabapentin) tablets (1,800 mg) formulation significantly reduces intensity of pain in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

23 Jul 2012

IMDx HSV-1/2 for Abbott m2000 assay receives CE-marking

IntelligentMDx (IMDx) announced today that it has obtained CE-marking for its fourth automated, high-throughput molecular test designed and developed for the Abbott m2000 System.

20 Jul 2012

BioAlliance Pharma, Vestiq enter license agreement for Oravig to treat oropharyngeal candidiasis

BioAlliance Pharma SA, an innovative Company dedicated to the development of orphan oncology products and to supportive care products, announces it has signed a binding term sheet with Vestiq for the commercialization rights in the United States of Oravig (known as Loramyc in Europe) for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis in adults.

20 Jul 2012

Researchers discover HVEM’s unknown role in fighting off E. coli infections

Despite ongoing public health efforts, E. coli outbreaks continue to infiltrate the food supply, annually causing significant sickness and death throughout the world. But the research community is gaining ground. In a major finding, published today in the scientific journal Nature, researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have discovered a molecule's previously unknown role in fighting off E. coli and other bacterial infections, a discovery that could lead to new ways to protect people from these dangerous microorganisms.

16 Jul 2012

Herpes zoster vaccine recommendations questioned in patients on biologics

Administration of the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine is not associated with an increased risk for shingles shortly after vaccination in patients receiving biologic treatments for immune-mediated diseases, researchers report in JAMA.

10 Jul 2012

Maternal antiviral suppressive therapy may not be as effective as thought

Maternal antiviral suppressive therapy does not necessarily prevent the development of neonatal herpes simplex virus disease, warn researchers in The Journal of Pediatrics.

9 Jul 2012

Live zoster vaccine associated with reduced risk of HZ in patients with immune-mediated diseases

Although some have suggested that patients receiving medication for immune-mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis may be at increased risk of herpes zoster (HZ; shingles) shortly after receipt of the vaccine, an analysis that included nearly 20,000 vaccinated Medicare beneficiaries finds that the live zoster vaccine is not associated with an increased risk of HZ shortly after vaccination in patients currently treated with biologics, and that it is associated with a significantly reduced longer-term risk of HZ in patients with an immune-mediated disease, according to a study in the July 4 issue of JAMA.

4 Jul 2012

Shingles vaccine may not increase risk of varicella in people with auto-immune diseases

New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham casts doubt on the long-standing belief that the vaccine for shingles should not be given to patients taking biologics for auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

4 Jul 2012

Nanoparticles that can slip through mucus barriers shown to protect against herpes infections

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have demonstrated, for the first time in animals, that nanoparticles can slip through mucus to deliver drugs directly to tissue surfaces in need of protection. The researchers used these mucus-penetrating particles (MPPs) to protect against vaginal herpes infections in mice and the goal is to create similar MPPs to deliver drugs that protect humans against sexually transmitted diseases or even treat cancer.

26 Jun 2012

Roseola virus behind one-third of febrile seizures in young children

Researchers have discovered that infection with two of the roseola viruses, which are responsible for a common childhood rash, appear to increase a child’s risk for prolonged seizures and fever and may increase future temporal lobe epilepsy risk.

20 Jun 2012

Anti-TNFs increase risk for herpes zoster infections in IRD patients

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases who are treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor medications are significantly more likely to experience herpes zoster infections than those treated with traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, study results show.

15 Jun 2012

Rheumatism drugs may increase shingles risk

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease treated with one of the most effective medicines for their disease face a substantially increased risk for developing shingles, warn European researchers who suggest vaccination may be an option.

15 Jun 2012

Study strengthens link between HHV-6B and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

A ten-year NIH-funded study has determined that a third of infants with prolonged seizures and fever suffer from either a new or reactivated roseola virus infection. Roseola viruses are the cause of the common childhood rash, but can also cause limbic encephalitis, a condition that frequently progresses to epilepsy. Investigators discovered one of the roseola viruses, human herpesvirus-6B (HHV-6B) in the blood of 32% of 169 infants with prolonged seizures, a condition known as status epilepticus.

15 Jun 2012

Anti-TNFs increase risk of shingles in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor medications (anti-TNFs) have a 75% greater risk of developing herpes zoster, or shingles, than patients treated with traditional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), according to a meta-analysis presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism.

8 Jun 2012

FDA approves XenoPort, GSK’s Horizant ER tablets for management of PHN

GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) and XenoPort, Inc. announced today that the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Horizant (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets for the management of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in adults.

7 Jun 2012

Risk of recurrent shingles episode is relatively low: Study

People who have had an episode of herpes zoster, also known as shingles, face a relatively low short-term risk of developing shingles, according to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. These findings suggest that among people with immune systems that have not been compromised, the risk of a second shingles episode is low.

5 Jun 2012

ViroPharma initiates maribavir Phase 2 program for CMV infections

ViroPharma Incorporated today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 program to evaluate maribavir for the treatment of cytomegalovirus infections in transplant recipients.

4 Jun 2012

BioAlliance Pharma commences Livatag phase III trial in hepatocellular carcinoma

BioAlliance Pharma SA, a Company dedicated to orphan oncology products and specialty products, today announces the initiation of ReLive, its phase III clinical trial with Livatag(doxorubicin Transdrug), as scheduled in the advancement calendar of the project.

15 May 2012

RNP granules exit the nucleus via new budding mechanism akin to herpes-type viruses

New evidence published in Cell by Vivian Budnik, PhD, Melissa J. Moore, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, reveals a novel budding mechanism, similar to the process used by some viruses, capable of exporting large ribonucleoprotein particles from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.

11 May 2012