Hepatitis C

A new antiviral combination is showing promise in treating patients with both chronic kidney disease and chronic hepatitis C, Texas researchers reported at the International Liver Congress in Vienna, Austria.

Japanese regulators recently approved the blockbuster hepatitis C drug Sovaldi as the first all-oral treatment regimen for genotype 2 patients in that country.

How could an effective, inexpensive hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug have been available at local pharmacies without clinicians and patients knowing it? Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have the answer.

Express Scripts has dropped Solvaldi, Harvoni, and Olysio in favor of an exclusive deal with the drug maker AbbVie Inc. to prescribe its newly approved hepatitis C drug called Viekira Pak, according to a statement from the prescription drug-benefits management company.

A generic version of Gilead Science's hepatitis C drug Sovaldi will be produced in India and sold there and in other poorer countries at what is likely to be a fraction of what it costs in the United States.

In a phase II trial, combination treatment with Gilead's simeprevir (Olysio) and Janssen's simeprevir (Sovaldi) yielded functional cure rates exceeding 90% in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who received 12 weeks of therapy-even among difficult-to-treat patients.

An estimated 3.3% of people in the United States born between 1945 and 1965 have chronic hepatitis C infection. The increased risk of infection in this population has recently led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recommend one-time hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing for all persons in this age cohort.

The United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is recommending Sovaldi as a cost-effective option to treat some people who have chronic hepatitis C.

Between developing its own pipeline of therapies for patients with hepatitis C and acquiring another company known for its work in this field, it looks like Merck is taking steps to be a larger player in HCV market.

An emerging epidemic of acute hepatitis C threatens the country's younger population, which experienced a significant hike in the number of cases during a recent 6-year period, according to a compound study that looked at trends of the disease among youth.

The US Food and Drug Administration partially lifted a clinical hold on a hepatitis C drug under development by Achillion Pharmaceuticals, clearing the way for a restart of the company's clinical trials of sovaprevir.

A multipronged approach built around screening, education, community outreach, and expanded access to care is critical to reducing the prevalence of hepatitis C in the African-American community.

Company is seeking FDA approval for its all-oral, interferon-free regimen for the treatment of adult patients with chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C.

New guidance from the WHO includes nine key recommendations covering screening, treatment, alcohol use assessment and counseling, and measures to prevent transmission of the virus.

SAPPHIRE II trial results show sustained virologic response in 96% of treatment-experienced patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C who were treated with interferon-free, triple-drug regimen.

Fitful nights of sleeplessness and daytime fatigue were more common among people with hepatitis C regardless of whether they had cirrhosis of the liver when compared to the healthy control group involved in a small study.

Watchful waiting in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) genotype 1 infection may increase the number of advanced liver disease cases, according to a poster presented at the 2013 American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) meeting held in Washington, DC.

Case study presented at CHEST 2013 details the experience of a patient with hepatitis C who, after undergoing liver transplant, died after developing a serious lung infection and other complications.

Andrew J. Muir, MD, MHS, said having more antiviral hepatitis C drugs in the pipeline could spur more people to accept treatment and improve patient outcomes.

It's always hard to know how many new therapies will make it all the way through a drug development pipeline.There are 12 combination therapies in phase II trials, 19 individual agents in phase II, and five more in phase III.

We've collected links to some of the top podcast resources for primary care physicians.

Last week, the medical license of New Jersey oncologist Dr. Parvez Dara was immediately, but temporarily, suspended by state regulators after health officials presented evidence linking Dara's practice to a hepatitis B outbreak.