Hepatitis Weekly articles from May 2002

Hepatitis Weekly archives from May 2002

Study characterizes autoimmune hepatitis in non-European Caucasians.
May 6, 2002... 2002 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - In one of the first studies of its kind, doctors in London, U.K., have characterized the clinical aspects of autoimmune hepatitis in individuals of non-European...

Vaccine and drug combination eliminate viral DNA in some patients with HBV.
May 6, 2002... 2002 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Boosting immune system response with hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine may offer an advantage to some patients who are infected with the virus and receiving...

Prognostic indicators provide clues to cirrhosis after decompensation.
May 6, 2002... 2002 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Two prognostic indicators can provide clues as to whether or not chronic hepatitis B patients with liver cirrhosis should be considered for liver...

Five marker index yields fibrosis clues in hepatitis C patients.
May 6, 2002... 2002 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Physicians who have their chronic hepatitis C patients tested for as few as five serum markers might learn more about how the patients are responding to therapy...

Abbott wins sole supplier contract for blood screening tests.
May 6, 2002... 2002 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Abbott Laboratories (ABT) announced it has been awarded a multiyear contract as the exclusive supplier of six infectious disease tests used for screening blood donated to the American Red Cross. ...

Corgenix withdraws application for RA test, will emphasize liver disease program.
May 6, 2002... 2002 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Corgenix Medical Corp. (CONX) announced that after discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) it has decided to withdraw its application to obtain market clearance of a diagnostic test...

Global Med signs 10-year agreement for vein-to-vein products.
May 6, 2002... 2002 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Global Med Technologies, Inc., (GLOB) announced the signing of an agreement for its SafeTrace donor management software with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center for a 10-year contract period. In...

Donor source dictates tacrolimus requirements in liver graft recipients.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - For patients with diseases like viral hepatitis or liver cirrhosis who may need a donated liver, the source of that donation may predict how much antirejection...

Immunology, not physiology may be IFN mainstay in glomerulonephritis.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Interferon response in a kidney disease seen in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections could have more of an antiviral component than a...

Psychological symptoms may arise in the untreated hepatitis C patient.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Patients who do not receive antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C may encounter more emotional distress than others do. That's the conclusion of a...

High levels of antibody detected in HCV patients with oral eruptions.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Antibodies noted for associating with cardiovascular and autoimmune disease have also been implicated in hepatitis B virus (HCV)-infected patients who develop...

Pegasys-a, new hepatitis C treatment, clears important regulatory hurdle in Europe.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) issued a unanimous recommendation that Pegasys-a, a new generation pegylated interferon therapy, be approved for the treatment...

Companies extend hepatitis C collaboration for a second time.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ISIS) announced the second extension of its research collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc., (MRK) to discover drug candidates to treat patients infected with the hepatitis C...

ViroLogic raises $10 million through private placement.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ViroLogic, Inc. (VLGC) announced it has closed a transaction to sell newly designated shares of 6% convertible preferred stock to several large investors in a private placement resulting in gross...

Plant extract proves effective for limiting hepatitis C-associated cancer.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Glycyrrhizin, a plant extract used in Asia for treating hepatitis, might be useful for preventing chronic hepatitis C-related liver cancer. Hepatitis C...

Baltimore study supports targeting youth early to prevent bloodborne disease.
May 13, 2002... 2002 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Catching the attention of at-risk youth and young adults before they begin using injection drugs may offer the best hope of preventing their acquiring...

Genes could predispose hepatitis B patients for developing nephropathy.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Research evidence points to genotypic differences in black youngsters infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) for the potential of developing membranous...

Thiamine deficiency likely in cirrhotics regardless of underlying cause.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Thiamine deficiency is just as likely to be detected in people with hepatitis-related liver cirrhosis as in those with alcohol-related cirrhosis, a new study...

Amended virus kills liver cancer cells, prevents growth of new ones.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Murine model experiments have demonstrated the E1B-deleted virus dl1520 diminishes and prevents the formation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a primary form...

Hepatitis A virus infection cripples monocyte to macrophage maturation.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection appears to limit the way immune system cells can grow and mature in culture. The new finding by Sabina Wunschmann and...

Divergent patterns of infection emerge in hepatitis C virus population study.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new study of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection within the population of central Italy has shown infection patterns may vary, and even when infection rates...

92-week data from study of adefovir dipivoxil in lamivudine-resistant patients presented.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gilead Sciences (GILD) has announced results from a single-center, open-label clinical trial (Study 460i) of its novel, once-daily, oral antiviral agent adefovir dipivoxil 10 mg that is being developed...

Clinical trials of Civacir commence.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (NABI) announced initiation of a phase I/II clinical trial for its investigational product, Civacir (hepatitis C immune globulin (human)). Civacir is an antibody-based therapy...

Highest sustained virological response in new treatment.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A combination treatment of Pegasys (PEG interferon alfa-2a 40 kDa) a pegylated interferon, with ribavirin, an orally active antiviral medication, has shown some of the most effective treatment rates...

Roche's Pegasys achieves multiple firsts in landmark hepatitis C trial.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche announced results from a landmark trial that for the very first time provide strong clinical evidence that hepatitis C patients should be treated differently based only on virus genotype. ...

Hepatitis C association with tacrolimus increases post-transplant diabetes.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Renal transplant recipients who are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) may experience an interaction between the virus and tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive...

AstraZeneca and T Cell Sciences withdraw opposition to patent.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Immune Response Corp. (IMNR) announced that it received notification from the European Patent Office confirming that the appeal proceedings relating to its T cell receptor peptide technology are...

Green tea extract could help alleviate shortage of livers available for transplant.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Consumers of Japanese green tea have for centuries believed the ancient Chinese proverb, "Better to be deprived of food for 3 days, than tea for one," believing that the drink has been effective in...

Calponin positivity associated with increased survival in liver cancer.
May 20, 2002... 2002 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Calponin expressed by the smooth muscle cells of tumor vessels in hepatocellular carcinoma can predict survival after tumor removal, physicians in Japan...

Apoptotic mechanisms a hallmark of liver cell damage in viral hepatitis.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Medical researchers in Greece believe increased apoptosis, or programmed cell death, observed in the liver biopsies of patients with chronic viral hepatitis...

Interferon doses don't cause thyroid disorder in chronic hepatitis C.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The members of a Norwegian research team have found no evidence that certain doses of interferon (IFN)-(alpha) or response to therapy increases the risk for...

High hepatitis C virus load negates effective response to hepatitis B vaccine.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - People infected with a high hepatitis C virus (HCV) viral load may not develop protective titers after receiving hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine. The...

Nicaraguan study shows hospitalization a risk for viral hepatitis in young.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - One of the most important risk factors for acquiring either hepatitis C or hepatitis B virus (HCV, HBV) infections among children in Nicaragua who are...

Agent renders hepatitis B vaccine more effective in hemodialysis patients.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The authors of a new study have concluded AM3 (Inmunoferon) enhances the ability of kidney disease patients on hemodialysis to develop long-term protective...

Company reports 2002 1Q pro forma results of 21 cents per share.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chiron Corporation (CHIR) reported pro-forma net income of $41 million or $0.21 per share for the first quarter of 2002, compared with $38 million, or $0.19 per share in the first quarter of 2001....

Nabi's first quarter earnings in line with expectations.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (NABI) announced that financial results for the first quarter ended March 30, 2002, were consistent with previously communicated expectations. The company reported a net...

Drug cocktail prevents recurrence after liver transplant.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aiming to prevent recurrence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients following liver transplantation, University of California Los Angeles researchers retrospectively reviewed survival rates of...

Company achieves $3.75M development milestone in HepaSense joint venture.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ISIS) announced that it has achieved a development milestone in its HepaSense, Ltd., joint venture with Elan Corporation, plc (ELN) of Dublin, Ireland, triggering a $3.75...

Schering-Plough reports results of clinical studies of Pegintron and Rebetol combination therapy for hepatitis C.
May 27, 2002... 2002 MAY 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough International reported that results of several clinical studies presented at the 37th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) further demonstrated...