Liver Disease News and Research

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The liver is one of the largest solid organs of the body. It is located in the upper right part of the abdomen. Most of the organ lies under cover of the rib cage.

Technology, expert training and real-time feedback improves Hepatitis C outcomes

Widely-available technology, expert training and real-time feedback helped ensure that patients treated for Hepatitis C in local communities did as well as patients treated at a university-based medical center, results of a new study funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality show. The study is published in the June 2 online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and in the June 9 print edition.

3 Jun 2011

Elastography and serum markers show promise in patients with liver disease

Patients who are evaluated for liver diseases such as hepatitis C (HCV) are typically recommended for liver biopsy to determine the extent of disease progression.

3 Jun 2011

Noninvasive diagnostics may offer alternative to liver biopsy for assessing liver fibrosis

Patients who are evaluated for liver diseases such as hepatitis C (HCV) are typically recommended for liver biopsy to determine the extent of disease progression. For patients who question whether less invasive testing is available, clinicians now have alternatives options to consider. Elastography and serum markers are two such diagnostic options reviewed in an editorial published in the June issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

2 Jun 2011

Interim analysis of AIM-HIGH study affirms positive impact of Niaspan on HDL and triglyceride lipid values

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), disclosed results from an interim analysis of the AIM-HIGH clinical trial.

27 May 2011

Albert Einstein College of Medicine to help shed light on causes and treatments of type 2 diabetes

Fifty years ago, adult-onset diabetes was relatively rare, affecting less than one percent of the adult population in the United States. Today, more than 25 million Americans over the age of 20 battle the disease - an alarming 11 percent of the population.

27 May 2011

Pro-Pharmaceuticals announces name change to Galectin Therapeutics

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has changed its name to Galectin Therapeutics Inc. to more accurately reflect the Company's core expertise in galectin science and its leading platform for the creation of galectin inhibitors to treat serious diseases including fibrosis and cancer.

27 May 2011

Scarcity of resources calls for equitable distribution system for novel HCV treatment

For many patients with the hepatitis C virus, direct antiviral agents (DAA) offer a potential cure for the disease. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved two new DAAs, telaprevir and boceprevir, and with that clinicians must now decide who should be the first to receive this treatment.

25 May 2011

Apollo completes 100 liver transplantations in less than 4 years with over 90% success rate

Apollo centre for liver disease and transplantation has completed 100 liver transplantations in less than 4 years with over 90% success rate, creating a milestone in the history of medicine.

25 May 2011

Moderate drinking does not increase risk of fatty liver disease

In a large study of men in Japan, the presence of fatty liver disease by ultrasonography showed an inverse ( reduced risk) association with the frequency of moderate alcohol consumption; however, there was some suggestion of an increase in fatty liver disease with higher volume of alcohol consumed per day.

25 May 2011

Novel hepatitis C-like virus discovered in dogs

In a study to be published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report the discovery of a novel hepatitis C-like virus in dogs. The identification and characterization of this virus gives scientists new insights into how hepatitis C in humans may have evolved and provides scientists renewed hope to develop a model system to study how it causes disease.

24 May 2011

Vertex Incivek receives FDA approval for treatment of chronic hepatitis C

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Incivek treat certain adults with chronic hepatitis C infection. Incivek is used for patients who have either not received interferon-based drug therapy for their infection or who have not responded adequately to prior therapies. Incivek is approved for use with interferon therapy made up of peginterferon alfa and ribavirin.

24 May 2011

Vertex receives FDA approval for INCIVEK to treat hepatitis C

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved INCIVEK™ (telaprevir) tablets for a broad group of people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C with compensated liver disease (some level of damage to the liver but the liver still functions), including cirrhosis (scarring of the liver).

23 May 2011

Merck's VICTRELIS receives European CHMP positive opinion for treatment of chronic HCV genotype 1 infection

Merck, today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion under accelerated assessment recommending approval of the investigational medicine VICTRELIS (boceprevir) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection, in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, in adult patients with compensated liver disease who are previously untreated or who have failed previous therapy.

20 May 2011

Medivir reports positive results from ASPIRE TMC435 phase 2b study for genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, today announced results from the ASPIRE phase 2b study that evaluates the addition of once daily TMC435 to pegylated interferon and ribavirin in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C whose prior treatment with pegylated-interferon (PegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) was unsuccessful either because they relapsed, had a partial response or had a null response.

20 May 2011

Coffee reduces prostate cancer risk

In the 20-year study of almost 50,000 men, researchers noted that those who drank at least six cups a day were 20 per cent less likely to get prostate cancer than those who never took coffee. Strikingly, they were 60 per cent less likely than the non-coffee drinkers to die of the disease. The researchers also say that decaffeinated coffee is just as effective.

17 May 2011

PKC-delta enzyme critical for development of insulin resistance, diabetes and fatty liver

The road to type 2 diabetes is paved with insulin resistance, a condition often associated with obesity in which the hormone begins to fail at its job helping to convert sugars to energy.

17 May 2011

Merck receives FDA approval for Victrelis to treat chronic hepatitis C

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Victrelis (boceprevir) to treat certain adults with chronic hepatitis C. Victrelis is used for patients who still have some liver function, and who either have not been previously treated with drug therapy for their hepatitis C or who have failed such treatment.

16 May 2011

Pro-Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $2.7 million for first quarter 2011

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins to treat fibrosis and cancer, today reported its financial results for the first quarter, ended March 31, 2011.

13 May 2011

TFAH applauds HHS for new strategic approach to prevent viral hepatitis

The Trust for America's Health applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for unveiling a new strategic approach to dealing with the silent epidemic of viral hepatitis today.

13 May 2011

Novel two-drug combination cures young patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis

Belgian physicians report they have cured a young patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) using a novel two-drug combination developed by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The report, published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, marks the first known clinical use of this treatment for XDR-TB, the most deadly form of the disease.

11 May 2011

Liver Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Technology, expert training and real-time feedback improves Hepatitis C outcomes

Elastography and serum markers show promise in patients with liver disease

Noninvasive diagnostics may offer alternative to liver biopsy for assessing liver fibrosis

Interim analysis of AIM-HIGH study affirms positive impact of Niaspan on HDL and triglyceride lipid values

Albert Einstein College of Medicine to help shed light on causes and treatments of type 2 diabetes

Pro-Pharmaceuticals announces name change to Galectin Therapeutics

Scarcity of resources calls for equitable distribution system for novel HCV treatment

Apollo completes 100 liver transplantations in less than 4 years with over 90% success rate

Moderate drinking does not increase risk of fatty liver disease

Novel hepatitis C-like virus discovered in dogs

Vertex Incivek receives FDA approval for treatment of chronic hepatitis C

Vertex receives FDA approval for INCIVEK to treat hepatitis C

Merck's VICTRELIS receives European CHMP positive opinion for treatment of chronic HCV genotype 1 infection

Medivir reports positive results from ASPIRE TMC435 phase 2b study for genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C

Coffee reduces prostate cancer risk

PKC-delta enzyme critical for development of insulin resistance, diabetes and fatty liver

Merck receives FDA approval for Victrelis to treat chronic hepatitis C

Pro-Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $2.7 million for first quarter 2011

TFAH applauds HHS for new strategic approach to prevent viral hepatitis

Novel two-drug combination cures young patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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