Liver News and Research

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Liver-related mortality ranks #4 for people between ages of 45 and 64

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rank mortality related to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis as the 12th most common cause of death in adults in the U.S. Using a modified definition that includes diseases such as viral hepatitis, liver cancer and obesity-related fatty liver disease, Mayo Clinic-led researchers have found that liver-related mortality is as high as fourth for some age groups, and eighth overall.

2 Nov 2010

Positive preliminary data from Protalix's taliglucerase alfa switchover trial for Gaucher disease

Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc., announced today positive preliminary data from the first 15 patients that completed the Company's nine month, worldwide, multi-center, open-label, switchover trial of taliglucerase alfa for the treatment of Gaucher disease under a protocol cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The data indicate that patients can safely be switched to taliglucerase alfa from imiglucerase (Cerezyme®).

2 Nov 2010

Innovative lifesaving device for patients with advanced heart failure

Bradley Cantley, 41, headed home from UC San Diego Medical Center connected to a lifesaving heart machine called a left ventricular assisted device (LVAD). For patients with advanced heart failure, the mechanical pump rapidly improves circulation throughout the body and serves as a bridge to transplant. Cantley is the first of many patients, locally and globally, who will benefit from the expanded heart surgery program at UC San Diego Health System.

2 Nov 2010

ADVANCE Phase 3 study confirms clinical benefits of telaprevir regimen in patients with HCV infection

The Phase 3 results from the ADVANCE study confirm the clinical benefits of telaprevir-based combination therapy regimens. The study reports an improvement in treatment discontinuation rates due to adverse events compared to Phase 2 studies, and demonstrates an increase in sustained viral response (SVR) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The primary endpoint for this study was SVR 24 weeks after last treatment.

2 Nov 2010

Boceprevir combinational therapy improves SVR rate in patients with HCV genotype 1

The final results of the RESPOND-2 trial demonstrated that combination therapy with Boceprevir yields higher sustained virologic response (SVR) rates for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 who did not respond to or relapsed after treatment with peginterferon alpha 2b and Ribavirin.

2 Nov 2010

BioCancell's Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BC-819 shows positive result for pancreatic cancer

BioCancell, a developer of anti-cancer drugs, announced success in attaining the goals of its Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BC-819 as a treatment for pancreatic cancer, which demonstrated an excellent safety profile and preliminary efficacy.

2 Nov 2010

New findings pave way to improve early detection of ovarian cancer

A drug in testing to treat atherosclerosis significantly inhibited growth of ovarian cancer in both human cell lines and mouse models, the first such report of a peptide being used to fight malignancies, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Nov 2010

Telbivudine prevents HBV transmission from mothers to newborns: Study

Researchers studied the treatment of pregnant women with hepatitis B virus (HBV) with Telbivudine in their second to third trimesters. The study concluded that both the mothers benefited from treatment and no transmission of HBV to newborns was detected at 28 weeks postbirth.

1 Nov 2010

Valeant, Kadmon enter strategic agreement for taribavirin and ribavirin

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. and Kadmon Pharmaceuticals LLC have concluded two strategic agreements for the development and commercialization of taribavirin and the commercial marketing of ribavirin in the treatment of viral diseases, including hepatitis C virus (HCV).

1 Nov 2010

FDA approves cancer drug Afinitor for treatment of rare genetic disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the cancer drug Afinitor (everolimus) on Friday to treat patients with subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) associated with tuberous sclerosis (TS), a rare genetic disorder. This approval was for treatments of SEGA that can not be treated with surgery.

1 Nov 2010

Gore announces new Early TIPS for Ascites Study

W.L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced a new prospective, randomized, multi-center study at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The hypothesis of the study is that early intervention with the GORE® VIATORR® TIPS Endoprosthesis improves transplant-free survival when compared to large volume paracentesis in patients with cirrhosis and difficult to treat ascites.

1 Nov 2010

Catalyst’s CPP-115 improves retinal safety profile than vigabatrin

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. today announced positive results from a series of CPP-115 preclinical safety and efficacy evaluations. CPP-115 was found to have a significantly improved retinal safety profile compared to vigabatrin.

1 Nov 2010

Vertex reports superior SVR rates with telaprevir-based combination therapy in Phase 3 studies for hepatitis C

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced new data from its Phase 3 studies of people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C who have not been treated previously. In these studies, the majority of people achieved superior sustained viral response (SVR or viral cure) rates with a telaprevir-based combination regimen, compared to current therapies, regardless of race/ethnicity or stage of liver fibrosis (factors known to limit response to current hepatitis C treatments).

1 Nov 2010

Medivir's partner Tibotec reports Week 24 interim results from TMC435 Phase 2b study in HCV

Medivir AB, the research-based speciality pharmaceutical company focused on the development of high-value treatments for infectious diseases, notes that its development partner, Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, has announced the results of a Week-24 planned interim analysis of the Phase 2 response-guided PILLAR study for TMC435, Medivir's key pipeline asset, a hepatitis C protease inhibitor dosed once-daily.

1 Nov 2010

Merck's boceprevir improves SVR rate in adults with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection

Merck reported today that final results from two pivotal Phase III studies of boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, demonstrated significantly higher sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in adult patients who previously failed treatment (treatment-failure; HCV RESPOND-2) and in adult patients who were new to treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 compared to control, the primary objective of the studies.

1 Nov 2010

Race of donor may affect recurrent hepatitis C in patients after liver transplantation: Study

The race of liver donors may affect recurrent hepatitis C in patients after liver transplant, according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital. Patients receiving white cadaveric donor grafts had significantly more aggressive recurrent hepatitis C than those receiving grafts from African-American donors regardless of recipient race, says Matthew Moeller, M.D., gastroenterology fellow at Henry Ford Hospital and lead author of the study.

1 Nov 2010

Study determines long-term clinical outcome of patients posttransplant after anitviral therapy

Researchers from the University of Bari, Italy, concluded that treating patients after transplantation with antiviral therapy creates a sustained viral response (SVR) and protects them from liver-related deaths. The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term clinical outcomes of patients posttransplant who underwent antiviral therapy for recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection of the liver graft.

1 Nov 2010

Boehringer to present data of SOUND-C1 Phase Ib study for HCV treatment at AASLD Meeting

Boehringer Ingelheim announced results from a Phase Ib study, SOUND-C1, that showed the combination of two oral hepatitis C virus (HCV) compounds, the protease inhibitor BI 201335 and the polymerase inhibitor BI 207127, with ribavirin reduced viral load to the lower limit of quantifiable levels in HCV treatment-naïve patients.

1 Nov 2010

Idera presents IMO-2125 Phase 1 clinical trial data for HCV infection at AASLD Meeting

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the presentation of data from a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating IMO-2125, a novel immune modulator, in null-responder patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

1 Nov 2010

New laboratory-engineered livers could provide solution to donor shortage

Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have reached an early, but important, milestone in the quest to grow replacement livers in the lab. They are the first to use human liver cells to successfully engineer miniature livers that function - at least in a laboratory setting like human livers. The next step is to see if the livers will continue to function after transplantation in an animal model.

1 Nov 2010

Liver News and Research

Liver-related mortality ranks #4 for people between ages of 45 and 64

Positive preliminary data from Protalix's taliglucerase alfa switchover trial for Gaucher disease

Innovative lifesaving device for patients with advanced heart failure

ADVANCE Phase 3 study confirms clinical benefits of telaprevir regimen in patients with HCV infection

Boceprevir combinational therapy improves SVR rate in patients with HCV genotype 1

BioCancell's Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BC-819 shows positive result for pancreatic cancer

New findings pave way to improve early detection of ovarian cancer

Telbivudine prevents HBV transmission from mothers to newborns: Study

Valeant, Kadmon enter strategic agreement for taribavirin and ribavirin

FDA approves cancer drug Afinitor for treatment of rare genetic disorder

Gore announces new Early TIPS for Ascites Study

Catalyst’s CPP-115 improves retinal safety profile than vigabatrin

Vertex reports superior SVR rates with telaprevir-based combination therapy in Phase 3 studies for hepatitis C

Medivir's partner Tibotec reports Week 24 interim results from TMC435 Phase 2b study in HCV

Merck's boceprevir improves SVR rate in adults with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection

Race of donor may affect recurrent hepatitis C in patients after liver transplantation: Study

Study determines long-term clinical outcome of patients posttransplant after anitviral therapy

Boehringer to present data of SOUND-C1 Phase Ib study for HCV treatment at AASLD Meeting

Idera presents IMO-2125 Phase 1 clinical trial data for HCV infection at AASLD Meeting

New laboratory-engineered livers could provide solution to donor shortage

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition) eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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