Hepatitis Weekly articles from September 2002

Hepatitis Weekly archives from September 2002

Race makes difference for value of alpha-fetoprotein as cancer marker.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine say alpha-fetoprotein is not as useful a marker for primary liver cancer in African-Americans with chronic...

Hepatitis C increases risk for death following pancreatic transplantation.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Being hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive can increase the risk for graft dysfunction and death in patients who undergo pancreas transplantations, according to a...

Fatty liver more common in people with hepatitis C virus genotype 3.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver, tends to be more common in people who are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 3. There are at least six known...

Apolipoprotein E genotype lessens liver illness in chronic hepatitis C.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Chronic hepatitis C patients who carry more of a specific apolipoprotein E allele appear to be protected from incurring severe liver disease. ...

Cause of virulence pinpointed.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have located two genes that give hepatitis A virus (HAV) its virulent properties. The team, led by Suzanne...

Data reported from first human study of interferon administration via AERx.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aradigm Corporation (ARDM) presented data on recombinant human interferon-alfa-2b administered by the company's AERx System, a pulmonary drug delivery platform. The podium presentation entitled,...

ThermoGenesis to expand CryoSeal FS pivotal trial.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ThermoGenesis Corp. (KOOL) announced that an independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB) comprised of surgeons, a biostatistician and an ethicist recommends proceeding with the multicenter pivotal...

Priority Healthcare announces record results for second quarter.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Priority Healthcare Corp. (PHCC) reported record results for the second quarter ended June 29, 2002. Sales increased 45% to $291 million, operating earnings increased 62% to $16.5 million, and net...

FDA advisers plug new drug.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A failed HIV therapy should be sold instead to treat the liver-destroying hepatitis B virus, advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have ruled. If the FDA agrees, Gilead Sciences'...

Ninth U.S. patent received.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Coley Pharmaceutical Group announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent No. 6,406,705, providing composition claims for CpG immunostimulants in combination with adjuvants....

Company streamlines operations.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (BCRX) announced that in order to conserve its resources, it has reduced its staff by 30, bringing the total number of BioCryst employees to 45. BioCryst had...

Novel virus plays no role in non-A to -E hepatitis.
September 2, 2002... 2002 SEP 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The newly detected SEN virus (SEN V) does not play a role in liver disease, according to a research team in Tokyo, Japan. "SEN V was discovered recently as...

New compound could beat wild-type and lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A novel nucleoside analogue could be the answer to overcoming resistance to standard therapy in patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). The agent...

Woodchucks allow doctors to study hepatitis B reinfection after transplantation.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Bell-Nichols, senior medical writer - Doctors can get a better idea of how hepatitis B virus reinfection progresses thanks to a woodchuck transplantation model developed by researchers in...

Hepatitis C, Epstein-Barr virus interactions have little impact on lymphoma risk.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Interactions between hepatitis C and Epstein-Barr viruses have little effect on the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in HIV patients, researchers in France argue....

Patients with bleeding disorder face liver disease from bloodborne pathogens.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The cumulative incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related end-stage liver disease in patients with hemophilia increases with human immunodeficiency virus...

New virus may be prognostic marker for chronic hepatitis C-related liver cancer.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - TT virus, also known as transfusion transmitted virus, may be a marker for cancer progression in people with chronic hepatitis C-related liver disease. TT...

ACTG Clinical Trial: Remune alone stimulated stronger immune responses.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Immune Response Corp. (IMNR) announced that the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group of the National Institutes of Health presented new data at the XIV International AIDS Conference from a clinical...

Incara IND for Liver Cell Transplantation Allowed by FDA.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Incara Pharmaceuticals Corporation (INCR) announced it has been notified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of their allowance of Incara's investigational new drug application (IND) to begin...

SurgiLance renews contract with Professional HealthSales.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SurgiLance, Inc., has renewed an annual agreement with Professional HealthSales, Inc., (PHS) of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, in which PHS and its team of 30 representatives will continue to be SurgiLance's...

Ribapharm reports second quarter earnings increase.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribapharm, Inc., (RNA) announced second quarter 2002 net income of $31.1 million, compared with $19.2 million for the same period in 2001. The company also reported earnings per share of 21 cents,...

Schering-Plough reports sales, earnings for 2002 second quarter.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) reported financial results for the second quarter of 2002: diluted earnings per share for the 2002 second quarter were 43 cents on net income of $633 million, which is flat...

Novel nucleic acid tests suitable for large-scale HIV, hepatitis C blood donor screening.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have developed a highly sensitive assay system for finding HIV or hepatitis C infection in blood. "Various nucleic acid...

Ribapharm takes legal action against Hoffmann-La Roche for patent infringement.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribapharm, Inc., (RNA) announced that it has initiated legal action against F. Hoffmann-La Roche in the Netherlands to enforce its patents on the use of ribavirin. The European Patent Office has...

Steris renews grant to University Hospitals of Cleveland.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Steris Corp. (STE) announced it is renewing its grant to University Hospitals of Cleveland's division of infectious diseases to support research in the area of hospital-acquired and emerging infections...

Pulsing patient's cells with tumor antigen could be effective cancer vaccine.
September 9, 2002... 2002 SEP 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Using a patient's own immune response cells and antigens from tumor cells could be the best way to treat some patients with primary liver cancer. Newer and...

Hepatitis worse during immunocompetence with HIV/hepatitis C coinfection.
September 16, 2002... 2002 SEP 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Ironically, liver disease may worsen when there is immunocompetence in hemophiliacs coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus...

Study profiles those likely to discontinue therapy for chronic hepatitis C.
September 16, 2002... 2002 SEP 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Adverse effects often lead to chronic hepatitis C patients discontinuing prescribed regimens that include combinations of interferon and ribavirin. The...

Growing hepatitis C infection rate associated with primary liver cancer.
September 16, 2002... 2002 SEP 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The growing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rate in the United States appears to be causing an increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma HCC, a...

Genes differentiate acute cellular rejection and hepatitis C recurrence.
September 16, 2002... 2002 SEP 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists have produced evidence showing variability of immune response genes marking alloimmunity could be a reason for acute cellular rejection after liver...

Second quarter 2002 revenue increased 164%.
September 16, 2002... 2002 SEP 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ISIS), announced that its total revenue for the second quarter 2002 increased by $12.5 million, or 164% over that reported for the same period in 2001. The increase in...

Preemptive lamivudine inhibits hepatitis B effects after transplantation.
September 16, 2002... 2002 SEP 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Lamivudine can be used to curb hepatitis B virus (HBV) exacerbation in people who receive hematopoietic cell transplantations, scientists report. The...

Virax to develop hepatitis B treatment with New York Blood Center.
September 16, 2002... 2002 SEP 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Virax Holdings, Ltd., has signed a development agreement with the New York Blood Center to develop a treatment for hepatitis B (HBV) infection. The new treatment is Virax's third product under...

Regimens altering lamivudine and interferon yield similar results in children.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Pediatric patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) tend to respond to therapy that combines lamivudine and interferon without regard to the way the therapies are...

Although hepatitis C assays are good, there is still room for improvement.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The quality of hepatitis C virus (HCV) assays has improved over the years, but the results of data collected through a quality assessment program suggest there...

New inhibitors show promise for eradicating hepatitis drug-resistant mutants.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writers - A new class of DNA inhibitors could some day be of use for treating both wild-type and drug resistant mutants of hepatitis B virus (HBV). The agents,...

Hip or thigh yield comparable vaccine protection in immunized infants.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new study indicates vaccinating infants on the hip (ventrogluteal area) or on the front side of the thigh (anterolateral) with hepatitis B virus (HBV)...

Hepatitis B vaccine best administered to children before end-stage liver disease.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Children with chronic renal failure can develop immunity to hepatitis B virus (HBV) after being vaccinated, but they are afforded the most protection when they...

Bill Forbes joins tapped as VP.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Metabasis Therapeutics, Inc., announced that Dr. Bill Forbes has joined the company to lead its clinical development efforts. Forbes will be responsible for all clinical development and regulatory...

Triangle Pharmaceuticals names Daniel G. Welch chairman and CEO.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (VIRS) announced that Daniel G. Welch has been appointed chairman and CEO effective August 5, 2002. Welch succeeds Dr. David Barry, founder and former chief...

Method using clots to block arteries effective, safe for small liver tumors.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - U.S. government researchers at the National Institutes of Health have proclaimed chemoembolization with autologous blood clots a safe and effective method for...

Maxygen receives $2.4 million grant to develop cross protective vaccines.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Maxygen, Inc., (MAXY) announced the receipt of a $2.4 million, 3-year grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command to develop cross-protective vaccines against three types of...

Weight controlling protein may be source of fatigue in chronic hepatitis C.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists think leptin, a protein thought to control weight, may be the source of some fatigue in patients, especially females, who have chronic hepatitis C....

AERx systems maker reports net loss for 6 months of 2002: $0.62 per share.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aradigm Corporation (ARDM) announced financial results for the second quarter and 6 months ended June 30, 2002. Contract revenues for the second quarter 2002 were $7.3 million compared with $8.5...

Nabi product sales growth drives positive cash flow.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (NABI) reported net income of $0.8 million in the second quarter of 2002, or $0.02 per share, in line with external expectations. This earnings performance contributed to...

Revenues increase 18.2% for infectious disease detection and monitoring company.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Boston Biomedica, Inc., which provides products and services for the detection and monitoring of infectious diseases such as AIDS and viral hepatitis, announced that revenue from continuing operations...

Ribapharm files patent infringement lawsuit in Germany against Hoffmann-La Roche.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribapharm, Inc., (RNA) announced that it has filed legal action against F. Hoffmann-La Roche in Germany to enforce its patents on the use of ribavirin. On August 6, the company announced that it...

Zadaxin produces sustained responses in hard-to-treat hepatitis B patients.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (SCLN) announced the results of a new study demonstrating that Zadaxin (thymalfasin, thymosin alpha 1) helps clear the hepatitis B virus in the most difficult to treat...

Treatment results often poor in those with hepatitis C virus genotype 4.
September 23, 2002... 2002 SEP 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 do not respond well to prolonged treatment with either interferon monotherapy or interferon and...

Falling alpha-fetoprotein suggests poor outcomes in severe acute hepatitis.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The health of people with concurrent chronic hepatitis B and acute hepatic failure often begins to decline as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels fall. As a...

Untranslated virus region ineffective for distinguishing hepatitis C subtypes.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have concluded the 5' untranslated region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome is insufficient for differentiating...

Molecular HIV/HCV screen fast, accurate.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States say that a nucleic acid test can quickly and accurately find HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in donated blood. Janet...

Japanese study lists factors marking steatohepatitis.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new Japanese study suggests central body fat distribution is associated with the formation of steatohepatitis, or fatty liver, in those who are not...

Viral DNA, end-stage liver disease heighten risk for drug-resistant mutants.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Patients who undergo liver transplantation for hepatitis B-related liver disease face a greater risk of developing lamivudine-resistant mutations if certain...

Triangle announces reacquisition of product rights from Abbott.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (VIRS) announced that it has reacquired from Abbott Laboratories (ABT) full product rights, including rights to all profits, for four drug candidates in clinical...

Second quarter 2002 revenues increase 12.3% says molecular diagnostics firm.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gen-Probe, Inc., an established leader in molecular diagnostics based on its patented nucleic acid testing (NAT) technologies, reported its financial results for the second quarter and 6 months ended...

Ribapharm sues Hoffmann-La Roche for hepatitis drug patent.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribapharm, Inc. has accused rival drug maker Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., of violating patents related to Ribapharm's hepatitis drug, Ribavirin. A patent-infringement suit filed in a Los Angeles...

Additional patent issued for PADRE technology.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Epimmune, Inc., (EPMN), a biotechnology company focused on the development of pharmaceutical products using multiple, specific epitopes to activate the body's immune system, announced that the U.S....

Key ruling issued on European vaccine microsphere patent.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- DOR BioPharma, Inc., announced that the company has been notified of a decision of the Technical Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office in the defense of European patent EP0 266 119 against an...

RPI realigns and restructures; reports Q2 results.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (RZYM) announced that after reviewing all of its research and clinical programs, the company will refocus its internal development activities on the most promising...

No link between deferiprone and liver fibrosis in transfused patients.
September 30, 2002... 2002 SEP 30 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The results of an international multicenter study suggest the chelation drug deferiprone does not contribute to hepatic fibrosis in people who receive blood...