Interferon News and Research

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Pegasys with ribavirin combo may best for reducing hepatitis C viral levels

Interim study results indicate a certain drug combination treatment may suppress the hepatitis C virus more quickly than another.

1 Nov 2004

Scientists have uncovered a significant new link in the chain of immune system events through which estrogen prevents bone loss

Through research in mice, the scientists discovered that an immune signaling molecule called type b transforming growth factor (TGFb) is responsible for a cascade of events that leads estrogen to prevent bone loss.

29 Oct 2004

New understanding of how poxviruses jump from species to species

A Canadian study conducted at Robarts Research Institute sheds new light on how poxviruses can jump from species to species -- and will lead to further exploration of another potential candidate in the emerging field of “oncolytic viruses” to fight cancer.

25 Oct 2004

Evidence showing treatment benefits of beta interferon for multiple sclerosis

Results of a European study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET provide further evidence that patients with early symptoms of multiple sclerosis given a weekly injection with interferon beta are less likely to progress to full clinical disease after two years follow-up.

21 Oct 2004

Dermatologists now have many treatment options that can significantly reduce the appearance of scars or make them disappear all together

The scar you received when you fell off your bike at age 12 or from a recent car accident may be a constant and painful reminder of the event. While you may not feel any physical pain from these wounds, scars can make you feel self-conscious or embarrassed, particularly if they are located on exposed skin.

13 Oct 2004

Signaling pathway could be a valuable target for future drug therapies against systemic lupus erythematosus

Medical investigators at the Hospital for Special Surgery have identified an important new signaling pathway they believe could be a valuable target for scientists to aim at with future drug therapies that might one day reverse diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, according to a recent article published in “Nature Immunology.”

11 Oct 2004

Significant progress in development of an animal model of smallpox that closely resembles human disease

Scientists have made significant progress in developing an animal model of smallpox that closely resembles human disease, which will be necessary for testing of future vaccines and potential treatments.

5 Oct 2004

Teva Pharmaceuticals granted final approval for Ribavirin capsules

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted final approval for the Company’s ANDA for Ribavirin Capsules, 200 mg. Shipment of this product is expected to begin immediately.

5 Oct 2004

A trial of beta-interferon-1a in inclusion-body myositis has failed to find benefit from the drug in this disease

A trial of beta-interferon-1a in inclusion-body myositis (IBM) has failed to find benefit from the drug in this disease. Beta-interferons counteract some of the activities of the immune system, which some experts believe is misguided in IBM.

5 Oct 2004

Researchers discover new mechanism responsible for blood vessel tumors that cause facial deformities

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism responsible for the growth of blood vessel tumors that can cause facial deformities in infants and young children, paving the way for an antibody-based treatment to remove cells that fuel the tumors’ growth.

5 Oct 2004

Cancer vaccine based on listeria bacteria shows promise

An experimental cancer vaccine using defanged listeria bacteria is showing great promise in animal studies, successfully treating new cancers that have spread into the lungs of mice.

29 Sep 2004

New anti-inflammatory strategy for cancer therapy

A new strategy for cancer therapy, which converts the tumor-promoting effect of the immune system’s inflammatory response into a cancer-killing outcome, is suggested in research findings by investigators at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

20 Sep 2004

Neck surgeons brush up on West Nile virus

Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, being held September 19-22, 2004, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City, NY.

17 Sep 2004

Gene therapy holds much promise for treating aggressive human superficial bladder cancer

Gene therapy that causes the bladder to act like a “bioreactor” to produce and secrete the anti-cancer agent interferon-alpha has shown dramatic benefits in preclinical tests, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

8 Sep 2004

Peginterferon and Ribavirin combination promising for those with HIV and HCV

Since the introduction of highly active combination drug therapy for HIV, liver failure attributable to infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become a leading cause of death among those infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

22 Aug 2004

FDA fast tracks temsirolimus, first-line treatment of poor-prognosis patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted a new "fast track" designation for temsirolimus (CCI-779), an investigational mTOR kinase inhibitor, in the first-line treatment of poor-prognosis patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

18 Aug 2004

Study shows safe, effective therapy for previously untreated patients with HIV & hepatitis C

An international study with nearly 900 patients co-infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) has shown that HCV can be treated effectively and safely, without compromising the patient’s HIV therapy.

29 Jul 2004

New drug combination more effective than the previous generation of hepatitis C/HIV therapy

A new study reveals the highest efficacy rates ever reported among patients co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

28 Jul 2004

Roche files for application with FDA to market hepatitis C medication Pegasys(R) for chronic hepatitis B treatment

Roche announced today the submission of a supplemental new biologics license application (sBLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market Pegasys(R) (peginterferon alfa-2a) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

21 Jul 2004

Latest findings on HIV pathogenesis at AIDS Conference in Bangkok

At the XVth International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation (LIR), will present his laboratory’s latest findings on how aberrant immune activation underlies HIV pathogenesis.

15 Jul 2004

Interferon News and Research

Pegasys with ribavirin combo may best for reducing hepatitis C viral levels

Scientists have uncovered a significant new link in the chain of immune system events through which estrogen prevents bone loss

New understanding of how poxviruses jump from species to species

Evidence showing treatment benefits of beta interferon for multiple sclerosis

Dermatologists now have many treatment options that can significantly reduce the appearance of scars or make them disappear all together

Signaling pathway could be a valuable target for future drug therapies against systemic lupus erythematosus

Significant progress in development of an animal model of smallpox that closely resembles human disease

Teva Pharmaceuticals granted final approval for Ribavirin capsules

A trial of beta-interferon-1a in inclusion-body myositis has failed to find benefit from the drug in this disease

Researchers discover new mechanism responsible for blood vessel tumors that cause facial deformities

Cancer vaccine based on listeria bacteria shows promise

New anti-inflammatory strategy for cancer therapy

Neck surgeons brush up on West Nile virus

Gene therapy holds much promise for treating aggressive human superficial bladder cancer

Peginterferon and Ribavirin combination promising for those with HIV and HCV

FDA fast tracks temsirolimus, first-line treatment of poor-prognosis patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma

Study shows safe, effective therapy for previously untreated patients with HIV & hepatitis C

New drug combination more effective than the previous generation of hepatitis C/HIV therapy

Roche files for application with FDA to market hepatitis C medication Pegasys(R) for chronic hepatitis B treatment

Latest findings on HIV pathogenesis at AIDS Conference in Bangkok

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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