Hepatology News and Research

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Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree and pancreas as well as management of their disorders.

Vertex announces final results from Phase 3 REALIZE study against HCV

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced final results from its pivotal Phase 3 REALIZE study that evaluated people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C whose prior treatment with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin was unsuccessful either because they relapsed, had a partial response or had a null response.

1 Apr 2011

Treatment for HBV infection with entecavir followed by lamivudine results in virologic rebound

A two-year trial of entecavir followed by lamivudine (LAM) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection resulted in a virologic rebound rate of 24% and 12% drug-resistance rate. Patients who continued on entecavir therapy throughout the study period had undetectable HBV DNA at the two-year endpoint. Details of this trial are published in the April issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

1 Apr 2011

Sequential treatment with Entecavir and Lamivudine results in rebound of hepatitis B virus

31 Mar 2011

Vertex announces interim results from VX-222 ongoing Phase 2 study against hepatitis C

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced interim results from an ongoing Phase 2 study designed to assess the safety and tolerability of 12-week response-guided treatment regimens with its polymerase inhibitor, VX-222, and its protease inhibitor, telaprevir, in combination with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin in people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C who were new to treatment.

31 Mar 2011

NEJM publishes MSD's VICTRELIS two pivotal Phase III studies against HCV

MSD, known as Merck in the United States and Canada, announced today that final results from the two pivotal Phase III studies of VICTRELIS, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be published in the March 31st edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

31 Mar 2011

Three-drug cocktail more effective against hepatitis C virus

A three-drug cocktail can eliminate the hepatitis C virus in patients far more effectively than the current two-drug regimen, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

31 Mar 2011

DSP, Intercept enter license agreement for OCA

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co, Ltd. and Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that they have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and commercialization of Intercept's first-in-class FXR agonist obeticholic acid.

30 Mar 2011

DISCUSS survey findings highlight need to prioritize GERD dialogue

According to findings from the new nationwide DISCUSS Survey, many people surveyed report that their gastroesophageal reflux disease and/or persistent heartburn symptoms significantly disrupt their lives.

24 Mar 2011

Researchers discover novel gene regulation mechanism that contributes to HCC development

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine have discovered a novel mechanism in gene regulation that contributes to the development of a form of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma.

23 Mar 2011

Cognitive impairment may not be fully reversible in patients with liver disease: Study

There are potential legal ramifications for physicians of patients who drive with cognitive impairment, according to a study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute.

19 Mar 2011

Study: Dried plums more safe, effective than psyllium to treat constipation

Given their palatability, tolerability and availability, dried plums should be considered the initial approach to the management of mild to moderate constipation in the general population, according to results of a randomized clinical trial recently published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

16 Mar 2011

Conservative approach with endoscopic techniques can resolve colonic perforation

Colonoscopy is considered a safe procedure, although complications can occur. The most dreaded of these is iatrogenic perforation. The literature reports perforation rates of 0.03%-0.8% for diagnostic procedures, and a rate of 0.15%-3% for therapeutic procedures.

16 Mar 2011

Research: Underweight HCV-infected patients tend to be older at HCC onset

The incidence and mortality associated with hepatocellular carcinoma have been increasing worldwide, and hepatitis C virus infection plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HCC.

16 Mar 2011

Prophylactic PEG placement prior to HNC therapy associated with high rate of non use

Impairment of oral intake occurs in the majority of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) receiving chemoradiotherapy. Placement of prophylactic percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube in asymptomatic newly diagnosed HNC before chemoradiation is a common practice in some centers. In some studies, PEG has been associated with a decrease in treatment related weight loss in patients with HNC, but no studies have examined the utilization rate.

16 Mar 2011

Hydro-stomach CT imaging is not a reliable tool for EGC detection: Study

Traditionally, both air and tap water have been used as oral contrast agents to achieve adequate gastric distension for preoperative computed tomography imaging in patients with early gastric cancer.

16 Mar 2011

Study underscores need for monitoring vitamin D levels in all cirrhosis patients

Vitamin D deficiency is a well reported complication in chronic cholestatic liver disease such as primary biliary cirrhosis. While the prevalence and treatment of this deficiency has been addressed in many articles over the last decades, little is known of the vitamin D status in alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

16 Mar 2011

iTherX commences ITX-5061 Phase 1b study in patients with HCV

iTherX, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing a new class of therapies for hepatitis C, today announced that it has commenced patient recruitment in an open-label, proof-of-concept Phase 1b study of its lead compound ITX-5061 in liver transplant patients with hepatitis C virus infection.

16 Mar 2011

Repligen reports positive results from RG1068 Phase 3 study to improve MRI of the pancreas

Repligen Corporation reported today positive top-line results from a Phase 3 study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RG1068, synthetic human secretin, to improve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pancreas in patients with pancreatic disease using endoscopy (ERCP) as a diagnostic reference.

14 Mar 2011

New study: Alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis is lower than other causes

The relative rate of alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis is lower when compared to other causes, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute.

14 Mar 2011

Vertex to present telaprevir and VX-222 study results against hepatitis C at EASL annual meeting

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that 15 abstracts on the company's medicines in development for hepatitis C, including its protease inhibitor, telaprevir, and polymerase inhibitor, VX-222, were accepted for presentation at the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Berlin, Germany, March 30 to April 3, 2011.

9 Mar 2011

Hepatology News and Research

Further Reading

Vertex announces final results from Phase 3 REALIZE study against HCV

Treatment for HBV infection with entecavir followed by lamivudine results in virologic rebound

Sequential treatment with Entecavir and Lamivudine results in rebound of hepatitis B virus

Vertex announces interim results from VX-222 ongoing Phase 2 study against hepatitis C

NEJM publishes MSD's VICTRELIS two pivotal Phase III studies against HCV

Three-drug cocktail more effective against hepatitis C virus

DSP, Intercept enter license agreement for OCA

DISCUSS survey findings highlight need to prioritize GERD dialogue

Researchers discover novel gene regulation mechanism that contributes to HCC development

Cognitive impairment may not be fully reversible in patients with liver disease: Study

Study: Dried plums more safe, effective than psyllium to treat constipation

Conservative approach with endoscopic techniques can resolve colonic perforation

Research: Underweight HCV-infected patients tend to be older at HCC onset

Prophylactic PEG placement prior to HNC therapy associated with high rate of non use

Hydro-stomach CT imaging is not a reliable tool for EGC detection: Study

Study underscores need for monitoring vitamin D levels in all cirrhosis patients

iTherX commences ITX-5061 Phase 1b study in patients with HCV

Repligen reports positive results from RG1068 Phase 3 study to improve MRI of the pancreas

New study: Alcohol-related chronic pancreatitis is lower than other causes

Vertex to present telaprevir and VX-222 study results against hepatitis C at EASL annual meeting

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