↓
 

Hepatitis C Blog

Hepatitis C Blog
  • Home
  • Eblast SignUp

Monthly Archives: August 2013

Post navigation

← Older posts

Gilead Sues Merck Saying New Drug Won’t Infringe Patents

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on August 31, 2013 by Alan FranciscusAugust 31, 2013

Gilead Sues Merck Saying New Drug Won’t Infringe Patents

Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD), the world’s
largest maker of HIV medicines, sued Merck & Co. (MRK) seeking a court
order that the experimental hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir won’t
infringe patents.

Merck, which sold $502 million of its Victrelis hepatitis C
drug last year, contacted Gilead this month requesting it
license two patents Merck says are related to sofosbuvir,
Gilead’s attorneys said a complaint filed today in federal court
in San Francisco.

Read more…

Share This Page
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Follow Us
Facebooktwitter
Tagged patent, Sofosbuvir

Liver Cancer Due to Chronic Inflammation: Tumor Growth Follows Programmed Cell Death (Apoptosis)

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on August 31, 2013 by Alan FranciscusAugust 31, 2013

Liver Cancer Due to Chronic Inflammation: Tumor Growth Follows Programmed Cell Death (Apoptosis)
 

Aug. 30, 2013 — Liver cancer (Hepatocellular
Carcinoma, HCC) usually arises as the result of a chronic, inflammatory
liver disease. The most common causes here are excessive alcohol
consumption as well as a high-fat diet and also chronic infection with
the hepatitis viruses B and C. In the course of the inflammatory
process, the liver cells (hepatocytes) die more frequently due to
programmed cell death. The result is increased cell growth, also
referred to as compensatory proliferation, which can lead to tumour
development.

Read more…

Share This Page
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Follow Us
Facebooktwitter
Tagged apoptosis, Liver cancer HCC, Research and Discoveries

FDA, academia and industry team up to end hepatitis C

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on August 30, 2013 by Alan FranciscusAugust 30, 2013

FDA, academia and industry team up to end hepatitis C 

A research consortium known as the Hepatitis C Therapeutic Registry
and Research Network, or HCV-TARGET, has joined forces with the FDA to
share national data on how newly approved therapies for hepatitis C are
used and managed in routine practice. HCV-TARGET is led jointly by
investigators at the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is sponsored in part by multiple pharmaceutical companies.

The new partnership’s goal is to establish research collaborations
using the HCV-TARGET database to better inform patients and clinicians
about hepatitis C therapies.

Read more..

Share This Page
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Follow Us
Facebooktwitter
Tagged HCV-TARGET, Hepatitis C Therapeutic Registry and Research Network

N.B. hospital used unsterilized biopsy forceps for 14 years

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on August 29, 2013 by Alan FranciscusAugust 29, 2013

N.B. hospital used unsterilized biopsy forceps for 14 years

Health officials in New Brunswick are urging
nearly 2,500 patients to get tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV after discovering that unsterilized biopsy forceps were used at a hospital clinic for 14 years.

The problem at a colposcopy clinic at the Miramichi Regional Hospital began in May 1999 and was detected on May 24 of this year, the province’s Horizon Health Network said Wednesday.

McGarry said the problem began when the clinic started reusing biopsy forceps without sterilizing them in order to handle a growing patient load. While all of the biopsy forceps were sterilized at the end of every day, during the day some forceps were only cleaned and disinfected before being reused, he said.

Read more….

Share This Page
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Follow Us
Facebooktwitter
Tagged Awareness, Canada, Outbreaks, Transmission and Prevention, Warnings

New protease inhibitors showing promise for HIV/HCV coinfection

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on August 29, 2013 by Alan FranciscusAugust 29, 2013

New protease inhibitors showing promise for HIV/HCV coinfection

Although use of telaprevir or boceprevir in the HIV/HCV coinfected
patient would be considered off-label, consideration should be given to
utilizing these agents when HCV treatment is desired because the current
evidence shows a substantial improvement in treatment success.

This is an exciting time in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C
virus infections. As opposed to the antibiotic pipeline, there are a
number of new antiviral agents for treatment of hepatitis C in
development that may transform the way these patients are treated.

Chronic infection with HCV has emerged as a major cause of morbidity
and mortality in those living with HIV infection. Approximately 15% to
30% of patients with HIV in the United States are estimated to be
coinfected with HIV and HCV. All patients with HIV/HCV coinfection
should be evaluated for HCV therapy because of the more rapid
progression of liver disease in those with HCV alone, and because the
successful treatment of HCV may also reduce the risk for hepatotoxicity
from the use of HAART in these patients.

Read more…

Share This Page
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Follow Us
Facebooktwitter
Tagged boceprevir, DAA's, HIV/HCV coinfection, telaprevir, Treatment Response

Frequent coffee, chocolate consumption reduced liver enzymes in HIV/HCV coinfected patients

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on August 29, 2013 by Alan FranciscusAugust 29, 2013

Frequent coffee, chocolate consumption reduced liver enzymes in HIV/HCV coinfected patients

Polyphenols contained in coffee, but also in cocoa, may contribute to
decrease liver enzymes levels, but these results need to be confirmed by
further experimental and observational research.

Patients coinfected with HIV and HCV who reported eating chocolate
daily and drinking three or more cups of coffee a day had lower levels
of ALT and AST than those who consumed fewer polyphenol-rich foods in a
recent study.

Researchers evaluated data collected from 990 adult patients coinfected with HCV and HIV
enrolled in the ANRS CO13 HEPAVIH prospective cohort study. Patients
with cirrhosis had follow-up visits every 6 months, while noncirrhotic
participants had annual visits, with liver biochemistry assessed at each
visit. Participants also responded to annual self-administered
questionnaires regarding sociodemographic status and dietary and drug
habits.

Carrieri MP. J Hepatol. 2013;doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2013.08.014
Read more…
Share This Page
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Follow Us
Facebooktwitter
Tagged chocolate, coffee, enzyme levels, HIV/HCV coinfection, Liver Health

Hep C rise baffles experts in Nova Scotia

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on August 28, 2013 by Alan FranciscusAugust 28, 2013

Hep C rise baffles experts in Nova Scotia

Ten years ago, about 250 new cases were diagnosed. This year, it was close to 300.

Hepatitis C rates are increasing in Nova Scotia and experts say more education is needed to combat the disease.

About 5,000 Nova Scotians have the infection, which spreads through
the blood and damages the liver. It’s a chronic condition caused by the
hepatitis C virus. Only Nova Scotia and P.E.I. saw rates increase in the number of new cases.

Read more…

Share This Page
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Follow Us
Facebooktwitter
Tagged Canada, Epidemiology, pwid, Transmission and Prevention

Medivir announces interim results from Cohort 2 of the COSMOS study evaluating Simeprevir and Sofosbuvir in HCV patients with METAVIR scores F3-F4

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on August 28, 2013 by Alan FranciscusAugust 28, 2013
  •  In Hepatitis C patients with advanced liver fibrosis or
    cirrhosis (METAVIR  F3 or F4) 12 weeks all oral treatment with
    simeprevir and sofosbuvir with or without ribavirin led to SVR4 rates of
    96% and 100%, respectively
  • Once-daily simeprevir and sofosbuvir with or without ribavirin was generally safe and well tolerated

28-Aug-13
Stockholm, Sweden — Medivir AB (OMX: MVIR) today announced interim
results from the second Cohort in the ongoing COSMOS study evaluating a
once daily combination of simeprevir and sofosbuvir in hard to cure
hepatitis C (HCV) patients.

SVR4 results from the 12 week arms of
Cohort 2, including treatment naïve or previous null responder HCV
patients all with METAVIR score F3-F4 were reported. Treatment for 12
weeks with simeprevir and sofosbuvir, with or without ribavirin, led to
SVR4 rates of 96% and 100%, respectively.

Interim results from
Cohort 1 of the COSMOS study, which include only prior null responder
HCV patients (METAVIR F0-F2) have been reported earlier and demonstrated
SVR8 rates of 96% and 93% after 12 weeks treatment simeprevir and
sofosbuvir with and without ribavirin, respectively.

“The high
SVR rates seen in genotype 1 prior null responders and treatment-naïve
patients with advanced liver disease, in the COSMOS study and the safety
profile of the combination are highly encouraging. We look forward to
the final results of this study in difficult to cure patients.” says
Charlotte Edenius, EVP Development, Medivir AB.

COSMOS – Study Design
COSMOS
is a randomized, open label, phase IIa clinical trial evaluating a
once-daily combination of the HCV protease inhibitor simeprevir and the
nucleotide sofosbuvir with and without ribavirin (RBV) for 12 and 24
weeks. Cohort 1 (n=80) evaluates prior null responder genotype 1
hepatitis C (HCV) patients with METAVIR scores F0-F2 and Cohort 2 (n=87)
evaluates prior null responder and treatment-naïve genotype 1 hepatitis
C patients with METAVIR scores F3-F4. The METAVIR score is used to
quantify the degree of inflammation and fibrosis of the liver. Liver
fibrosis is scored on a four-point scale.

At the time of the
interim analysis, SVR4 results were available for all patients (n=41) in
the 12 week arms of Cohort 2. In this Cohort, 78.2% of patients had
GT1a subtype with 40% of those having a Q80K baseline polymorphism,
79.3% had IL28B CT or TT genotype, 47.1% had Metavir score F4
(cirrhosis) and 54.0% were prior null responders.

In the
previously reported Cohort 1, 77.5% of the patients had GT1a subtype
with 50% of those having a Q80K baseline polymorphism, 93.7%, had IL28B
CT or TT genotype and 58.8% had METAVIR score F2.

COSMOS – Summary Interim Results: Efficacy

Efficacy
results with 150 mg simeprevir (SMV) and 400 mg sofosbuvir (SOF) once
daily for 12 weeks with or without ribavirin (RBV). Intent-to-treat
(ITT) population.

*
Data reported at the 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic
Infections (CROI) in March 2013 in Atlanta, USA. SVR: Sustained
Virologic Response 4 or 8 weeks (SVR4 or SVR8) after end of treatment.

There
were no viral breakthroughs in either Cohort. At the time of respective
cut-off there was 1 relapse in Cohort 2, which was detected 4 weeks
after end of treatment. As previously reported there were 2 relapses
detected in Cohort 1 both at the 4 week time point after end of
treatment.

COSMOS – Summary Interim Results: Safety
Once-daily
simeprevir and sofosbuvir with or without ribavirin for 12 weeks was
generally considered safe and well tolerated. Among events defined in
the protocol as being of special interest, increased bilirubin was
observed in 9.3% of the patients in the ribavirin containing arms,
compared with 0%, for the non-ribavirin containing arms. Anemia was
observed in 13.0% of the patients in the ribavirin containing arms,
compared with 0% for the non-ribavirin containing arms.

For more information please contact:
Rein Piir, EVP Corporate Affairs & IR Mobile: +46 708 537 292.

About Simeprevir
Simeprevir
is a new generation NS3/4A protease inhibitor jointly developed by
Medivir and Janssen R&D Ireland, part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical
Companies for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in adult patients
with compensated liver disease.

For additional information about simeprevir clinical trials, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About Sofosbuvir
Sofosbuvir
(formerly referred to as GS-7977) is a once-daily nucleotide analog
polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of HCV infection being developed
by Gilead Sciences, Inc. Sofosbuvir is being evaluated as part of
multiple therapeutic regimens, including programs with RBV alone and in
combination with peg-IFN and RBV.

About Hepatitis C
Hepatitis
C, a blood-borne infectious disease of the liver and a leading cause of
chronic liver disease and liver transplants, is a rapidly evolving
treatment area with a clear need for innovative treatments.
Approximately 150 million people are infected with hepatitis C
worldwide, and 350,000 people per year die from the disease.

About Medivir
Medivir is an emerging research-based pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases.

Medivir
has world class expertise in polymerase and protease drug targets and
drug development which has resulted in a strong infectious disease
R&D portfolio. The Company’s key pipeline asset is simeprevir, a
novel protease inhibitor in late phase III clinical development for
hepatitis C that is being developed in collaboration with Janssen
R&D Ireland. Medivir has also a broad product portfolio with
prescription pharmaceuticals in the Nordics.

For more information about Medivir AB, please visit the Company’s website: www.medivir.com (http://www.medivir.com/)

Share This Page
Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Follow Us
Facebooktwitter
Tagged COSMOS study, Interferon Free Treatment, Medivir, Simeprevir, Sofosbuvir

Post navigation

← Older posts

Search This Blog

Our Blog Gets Recognized – Three Years in a Row!

The Best Hepatitis C Blogs
The Best Hepatitis C Blogs
The Best Hepatitis C Blogs

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive our posts via email

* indicates required

Share This Site

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Follow HCV Advocate

Facebooktwitter

RSS HCV Advocate Clinical Trials Reference Guide

  • The study is aimed at assessing the safety and immunogenicity of HCV prime-boost vaccinations ChAd3-hliNSmut and MVA-hliNSmut, administered intramuscularly in healthy volunteers and DAA treated patients.
    The study is aimed at assessing the safety and immunogenicity of HCV prime-boost vaccinations ChAd3-hliNSmut and MVA-hliNSmut, administered intramuscularly in healthy volunteers and DAA treated patients. To read the entire study, click here Share This PageFollow Us … Continue reading → The post The study is aimed at assessing the safety and immunogenicity of HCV […]
  • Real-life Security and Efficacy of DAA-based Therapy in 1,000 HCV/HIV-Coinfected Patients – Spain
    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of DAA-based regimens in the clinical practice in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients. Hypothesis: The efficacy and tolerability of all DAA-based regimens in the clinical practice is different to what is … Continue reading → The post Real-life Security and Efficacy of DAA-based Therapy in 1,000 […]

Archives

  • February 2019 (44)
  • January 2019 (47)
  • December 2018 (34)
  • November 2018 (45)
  • October 2018 (26)
  • September 2018 (28)
  • August 2018 (30)
  • July 2018 (37)
  • June 2018 (28)
  • May 2018 (53)
  • April 2018 (50)
  • March 2018 (55)
  • February 2018 (48)
  • January 2018 (40)
  • December 2017 (28)
  • November 2017 (47)
  • October 2017 (67)
  • September 2017 (63)
  • August 2017 (54)
  • July 2017 (63)
  • June 2017 (57)
  • May 2017 (65)
  • April 2017 (82)
  • March 2017 (55)
  • February 2017 (74)
  • January 2017 (71)
  • December 2016 (76)
  • November 2016 (84)
  • October 2016 (61)
  • September 2016 (66)
  • August 2016 (79)
  • July 2016 (62)
  • June 2016 (56)
  • May 2016 (72)
  • April 2016 (61)
  • March 2016 (55)
  • February 2016 (38)
  • January 2016 (40)
  • December 2015 (48)
  • November 2015 (55)
  • October 2015 (112)
  • September 2015 (105)
  • August 2015 (101)
  • July 2015 (108)
  • June 2015 (97)
  • May 2015 (172)
  • April 2015 (139)
  • March 2015 (218)
  • February 2015 (201)
  • January 2015 (217)
  • December 2014 (93)
  • November 2014 (88)
  • October 2014 (107)
  • September 2014 (84)
  • August 2014 (65)
  • July 2014 (84)
  • June 2014 (71)
  • May 2014 (100)
  • April 2014 (95)
  • March 2014 (89)
  • February 2014 (58)
  • January 2014 (48)
  • December 2013 (60)
  • November 2013 (76)
  • October 2013 (93)
  • September 2013 (77)
  • August 2013 (75)
  • July 2013 (88)
  • June 2013 (77)
  • May 2013 (74)
  • April 2013 (69)
  • March 2013 (66)
  • February 2013 (43)
  • January 2013 (60)
  • December 2012 (40)
  • November 2012 (87)
  • October 2012 (54)
  • September 2012 (61)
  • August 2012 (68)
  • July 2012 (75)
  • June 2012 (58)
  • May 2012 (92)
  • April 2012 (89)
  • March 2012 (60)
  • February 2012 (46)
  • January 2012 (60)
  • December 2011 (54)
  • November 2011 (77)
  • October 2011 (53)
  • September 2011 (49)
  • August 2011 (35)
  • July 2011 (50)
  • June 2011 (33)
  • May 2011 (31)
  • April 2011 (34)
  • March 2011 (33)
  • February 2011 (23)
  • January 2011 (22)
  • December 2010 (18)
  • November 2010 (25)
  • October 2010 (20)
  • September 2010 (7)
  • August 2010 (5)
  • July 2010 (4)
© 2015 HCVAdvocate.org Top of Blog   
↑