Hepatitis C News and Research

Latest Hepatitis C News and Research

Vertex announces modification of telaprevir and VX-222 combination Phase 2 trial for treatment of HCV

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced a modification of its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating 12-week, response-guided regimens of its lead investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor, telaprevir, in combination with its lead investigational HCV polymerase inhibitor, VX-222.

22 Dec 2010

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Mount Sinai collaborate to evaluate anti-fibrotic effects of Galectin-targeting compounds

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading developer of Galectin therapeutics to treat cancer and fibrosis, today announced it has entered into a new research collaboration with Mount Sinai School of Medicine to evaluate in pre-clinical models, the anti-fibrotic effects of several of the Company's novel, Galectin-targeting compounds.

21 Dec 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oncolys complete license agreement for festinavir

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Oncolys BioPharma Inc., a privately held biotechnology company based in Japan, announced today that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture, develop and commercialize festinavir, a once-a-day, orally available nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) in Phase II development for HIV.

20 Dec 2010

Idera reports positive data from IMO-2125/ribavirin combination Phase 1 trial in null-responder HCV patients

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today preliminary data from a 4-week dose-ranging Phase 1 clinical trial of IMO-2125 in combination with ribavirin in 60 treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In the trial, treatment with IMO-2125 in combination with ribavirin was well tolerated and achieved substantial decline in virus levels at two days after the first dose of IMO-2125 and after four weeks of treatment.

20 Dec 2010

InterMune's MAA for Esbriet receives positive CHMP opinion

InterMune, Inc. today announced additions to its senior leadership team to prepare for the commercialization of Esbriet™ (pirfenidone) in Europe. InterMune's Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for Esbriet received a positive CHMP opinion that is now awaiting ratification by the European Commission.

20 Dec 2010

NASDAQ OMX Stockholm promotes Medivir to Mid Cap List

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of high-value treatments for infectious diseases, announces that NASDAQ OMX Stockholm is promoting Medivir AB (MVIR B) from the Small Cap to the Mid Cap List. The change is effective as of January 3, 2011.

17 Dec 2010

Gene variant linked to liver cirrhosis in Caucasians

A new study by German researchers found that a variation in the PNPLA3 (adiponutrin) gene was associated with cirrhosis of the liver and elevated transaminase (liver enzyme) levels in alcoholic Caucasians. The risk of cirrhosis in alcoholics in the genetic high risk group might be as high as 25 to 50%. Full findings are published in the January 2011 issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

16 Dec 2010

Gene variation linked to liver cirrhosis in alcoholic caucasians

16 Dec 2010

AmoyDx receives SFDA approval for its EGFR and BRAF mutations detection kits

Amoy Diagnostics announced today that its EGFR and BRAF mutation detection kits received market approval from China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). The SFDA is the competent authority for regulating drugs and in vitro diagnostics in mainland China. The approval allows AmoyDx to market the EGFR and BRAF tests for clinical use in China.

15 Dec 2010

Profectus' GENEVAX IL-12 pDNA adjuvant improves vaccine-induced response rate in Phase I HIV study

Profectus Biosciences, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against infectious diseases and cancers, announced today that its GENEVAX™ IL-12 pDNA adjuvant has significantly improved the vaccine-induced response rate in a Phase I clinical study of an experimental DNA vaccine for the prevention of HIV infection.

15 Dec 2010

Researchers introduce new class of drugs for HCV patients

To improve the care for individuals infected with the hepatitis C virus, a major health problem and a leading cause of chronic liver disease around the world, nearly 200 international hepatitis experts have taken an important step in escalating the introduction of a new class of targeted therapies for HCV – direct-acting antivirals.

15 Dec 2010

Y-90 microspheres pack a therapeutic punch against late-stage liver cancer

The latest weapon against inoperable liver cancer is so tiny that it takes millions of them per treatment, but according to interventional radiologists at the Indiana University School of Medicine, those microscopic spheres really pack a therapeutic punch.

15 Dec 2010

Pharmasset initiates dosing in PSI-7977 exploratory study in HCV

Pharmasset, Inc. announced today that dosing has begun in an exploratory study of PSI-7977, a nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV). The trial will evaluate PSI-7977 400mg QD in combination with ribavirin (RBV), with 0, 4, 8, or 12 weeks of pegylated interferon alfa 2a (Peg-IFN) in treatment-naive patients infected with HCV genotype 2 or 3.

14 Dec 2010

Nektar reports positive results from NKTR-102 Phase 2 study in metastatic breast cancer at CTRC-AACR SABCS

Nektar Therapeutics today announced positive results from a Phase 2 clinical study evaluating single-agent NKTR-102 in patients with metastatic breast cancer during the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). NKTR-102, a novel investigational topoisomerase I inhibitor-polymer conjugate, is Nektar's lead oncology candidate and is being evaluated in multiple cancer indications.

14 Dec 2010

Chimerix reports positive results from CMX157 Phase 1 clinical trial for HIV

Chimerix, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today announced first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial results for CMX157 demonstrating a favorable safety, tolerability and drug distribution profile.

14 Dec 2010

Top-line results from Inhibitex's FV-100 Phase II clinical trial for treatment of shingles

Inhibitex, Inc. today reported top-line safety and efficacy data from its Phase II clinical trial of FV-100, an oral antiviral compound being developed to treat herpes zoster, more commonly referred to as shingles. The study was the first clinical trial to assess the antiviral activity of FV-100, included 350 shingles patients and compared two once-daily doses of FV-100 (200 mg and 400 mg) to an active control, valacyclovir, one of the most commonly-used antiviral drugs to treat shingles.

14 Dec 2010

Biostar provides update on preliminary sales for October and November 2010

Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Xianyang-based manufacturer of a leading over-the-counter Hepatitis B medicine, Xin Aoxing Oleanolic Acid Capsules, and a variety of pharmaceutical products, today provided an update on preliminary sales for October and November 2010.

13 Dec 2010

Digestive Disease Specialists deploys Wolters Kluwer Health's ProVation MD software

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information for healthcare professionals and students, announced today that Digestive Disease Specialists, Inc. has selected its ProVation MD software for gastroenterology procedure documentation and coding.

9 Dec 2010

AiCuris announces completion of AIC316 Phase II genital herpes trial

The trial has been completed two months earlier than planned. Indeed, in the later stages of the trial, enrolment had to be restricted as the number of subjects was higher than the number that was required to be enrolled according to the trial protocol.

8 Dec 2010

Novel therapy against hepatitis C disease

University of Maryland School of Pharmacy researchers have developed a mathematical model for choosing an appropriate dosage of the hepatitis medications for individual patients. The work helps explain why African American patients tend to not respond as well to the drugs as other patients.

8 Dec 2010