Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

New research finds HIV virus's V3 loop as attractive vaccine target

A section of the AIDS virus's protein envelope once considered an improbable target for a vaccine now appears to be one of the most promising, new research by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists indicates.

1 Apr 2011

Tibotec presents TMC435 phase 2b study interim results against HCV at EASL meeting

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, announces that their partner, Tibotec has presented the results of a planned Week 24 interim analysis of the phase 2b ASPIRE study for TMC435 in treatment experienced hepatitis C patients in a late-breaker session at the 46th Annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, Berlin, Germany.

1 Apr 2011

Merck's VICTRELIS phase III study results against HCV presented at EASL annual meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced results from several new data analyses from the pivotal Phase III studies evaluating the addition of its investigational oral protease inhibitor VICTRELIS to peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection.

1 Apr 2011

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

Biota Scientific receives BARDA contract to develop single-dose antiviral drug

A contract has been awarded to develop a long-acting single-dose antiviral drug for use in the United States, the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority announced today.

1 Apr 2011

Conatus CTS-1027 Phase 2 trial results against HCV presented at EASL meeting

Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today 24-week interim results from a clinical trial with CTS-1027 in combination with Peginterferon Alpha-2a and ribavirin in a treatment experienced, hepatitis C virus null-responder patient population.

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

Alnylam completes patient enrollment in ALN-VSP Phase I trial against liver cancer

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced that it has completed enrollment in its ALN-VSP Phase I multi-center, multinational, open label, dose escalation clinical trial.

1 Apr 2011

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

31 Mar 2011

Sinovac reports fourth quarter net sales of $9.1 million

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today its fourth quarter and full year financial results periods ended December 31, 2010.

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

Positive top-line data from Inhibitex INX-189 Phase 1b trial against HCV

Inhibitex, Inc. today reported positive top-line safety and antiviral data from its multiple ascending dose Phase 1b clinical trial of INX-189, an oral nucleotide polymerase inhibitor being developed to treat chronic infections caused by hepatitis C virus.

31 Mar 2011

Study examines how both men and women view harassment

Sexual harassment may have become so commonplace for women that they have built up resistance to harassing behavior they consider merely "bothersome," suggests a provocative new study by Michigan State University researchers.

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

Researchers develop new virus-based nerve-tracing technique

If, as Shakespeare's Juliet declared, a rose by any other name smells as sweet - to you and to me and to anyone else who sniffs it - then one might assume that our odor-sensing nerve cells are all wired in the same way. Alas, they are not, according to a new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute.

31 Mar 2011

Cellectis 2010 total operating revenues increase 55% to EUR 15.8M

Cellectis, the genome engineering specialist, has announced its consolidated financial results for the financial year ended December 31, 2010.

31 Mar 2011

CEL-SCI to initiate Multikine Phase III trial against head and neck cancer in Israel

CEL-SCI Corporation announced today that the State of Israel's Ministry of Health has given approval to begin enrollment of subjects for a Phase III clinical trial of Multikine in Israel.

31 Mar 2011

Boceprevir drug can help cure hard-to-treat hepatitis C

The drug boceprevir helps cure hard-to-treat hepatitis C, says Saint Louis University investigator Bruce R. Bacon, M.D., author of the March 31 New England Journal of Medicine article detailing the study's findings.

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

HIV/AIDS drugs shortage with rise in cases: An update

According to Australia's Ambassador on HIV/AIDS, Murray Proctor, Asia is falling short on HIV/AIDS treatment as almost 400,000 new cases are reported each year. He was attending a regional conference on universal access to treatment for AIDS where he said availability and price of vital anti-retroviral or anti- HIV medications remain a challenge for the region.

31 Mar 2011