Hepatitis B News and Research

Latest Hepatitis B News and Research

Treatment rates for hepatitis C virus declining, say researchers

Researchers from the University of Michigan determined that only 663,000 of the approximately 3.9 million Americans with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection received antiviral therapy between 2002 and 2007.

24 Nov 2009

Antiviral therapy for hepatitis C appears to be declining in the U.S.; lack of diagnosis is primary barrier to treatment

23 Nov 2009

STD infections continue to rise among young people

Sexually spread diseases continue to rise, with reported chlamydia cases setting yet another record in 2008, officials at the Centers for Disease Control recently reported. The CDC estimates that approximately 19 million new STD infections occur each year. Approximately half of them occur in young people between 15 to 24 years of age.

23 Nov 2009

Enrollment for ongoing phase 2b trial of RG7128 announced

Pharmasset, Inc. announced today that the enrollment of Cohort 2, led by its partner Roche, will continue for the remaining 300 genotype 1 and 4 patients in the ongoing phase 2b trial of RG7128, a first-in-class nucleoside analog polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

23 Nov 2009

HIV infected scope for TEE procedure, patient sues St. Vincent's Hospital

Milvia Lopez, by her attorney MICHAEL STEWART FRANKEL, of New York City, recently filed suit, in Supreme Court, New York County, bearing Index # 112888/2009. The complaint alleges that while Ms. Lopez underwent a routine transesophageal echocardiogram ("TEE") at ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL, doctors used an HIV infected scope exposing her to HIV.

23 Nov 2009

First nationwide human immunology registry for infectious disease research

RemedyMD (www.RemedyMD.com), the leading provider of disease registry software, today announced the first nationwide human immunology registry for infectious disease research. The new registry was developed to help clinicians and researchers better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

21 Nov 2009

FDA issues complete response for Rituxan, a drug for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), and Biogen Idec announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response on the companies’ applications for Rituxan® (rituximab) plus fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) for the treatment of people with previously untreated and previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

19 Nov 2009

Chronic hepatitis B seems to progress faster in men, report scientists

Scientists in China are reporting discovery of unusual liver proteins, found only in males, that may help explain the long-standing mystery of why the hepatitis B virus (HBV) sexually discriminates -- hitting men harder than women. Their study has been published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication.

19 Nov 2009

GAVI Alliance drives down pentavalent vaccine costs, data shows

The "co-ordinated buying policy" of the GAVI Alliance has driven down "[t]he price of a vaccine that helps babies fight off killer diseases," according to data released by the group, Reuters reports. In 2010, the price of pentavalent vaccine, which protects against Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b), diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and hepatitis B, will fall "below $3.0 - a drop of almost $0.50 cents per dose on the 2009 price," according to the news services.

19 Nov 2009

Johns Hopkins University to create a Human Proteome Chip using Arrayit's technology

Arrayit Corporation announced today that the new High Throughput Biology Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore Maryland purchased Arrayit's proprietary technology to create a Human Proteome Chip to discover biomarkers for autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune hepatitis (first identified by Dr. Zhu), lupus, and others.

18 Nov 2009

Pentavalent price drops: the GAVI effect

Following the increasing impact of the GAVI Alliance on the vaccine market, the price of one of the major combination vaccines, the pentavalent, is falling considerably, enabling GAVI’s partners to vaccinate millions of more children in the developing world.

18 Nov 2009

IBM scientists create one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test based on innovative silicon chip

IBM (IBM) scientists have created a one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test, based on an innovative silicon chip, that requires less sample volume, is significantly faster, portable, easy to use, and can test for many diseases, including one of world's leading causes of death, cardiovascular disease.

18 Nov 2009

Bayer's NEXAVAR approved in over 70 countries for the treatment of liver cancer

Bayer Inc. announced today that its international trial known as SHARP (Sorafenib HCC Assessment Randomized Protocol), led by Study Manager and Bayer Canada employee Tom Giannaris, has been selected as the winner in the 'Best International Trial' category for the Global Clinical Practice Journal Awards.

17 Nov 2009

New proposal can have substantial implications on EU fertility treatment costs

With 900,000 assisted reproduction treatments annually such as IVF and intrauterine inseminations in Europe the Commission's proposal to screen both partners before each treatment could lead to costs of over EUR 140 million annually.

17 Nov 2009

Chembio Diagnostics to donate more than 4,500 rapid HIV test kits

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc., a NY-based company that develops, manufactures, licenses and markets proprietary rapid diagnostic tests, is donating more than 4,500 rapid HIV test kits to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's 2009 Testing Millions Global Campaign, based in Los Angeles, to commemorate World AIDS Day 2009 on December 1st.

16 Nov 2009

Emergent BioSolutions acquires 55,000 square foot manufacturing facility from MdBio Foundation

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today that it has completed the acquisition of a 55,000 square foot manufacturing facility from MdBio Foundation and the land on which the facility stands from the City of Baltimore for a total purchase price of $8.2 million. The facility, located within the City of Baltimore, Maryland, previously operated as a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed facility used by an experienced contract manufacturing organization (CMO) to produce a number of FDA approved products.

13 Nov 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center awarded $42M for basic and patient-oriented research

UT Southwestern Medical Center has been awarded more than $42 million to date for basic and patient-oriented research from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the $787 billion stimulus package President Barack Obama signed into law in February.

13 Nov 2009

Tips for preventing cancer

The risk of cancer can be dramatically reduced through everyday choices about diet, exercise and tobacco use, according to a Special Report on Cancer Prevention in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.

12 Nov 2009

Biostar Pharmaceuticals reports financial results for the third quarter of 2009

Biostar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Xianyang-based developer, manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceutical products and medical nutrients addressing a variety of diseases and conditions, today announced financial results the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

12 Nov 2009

MinuteClinic praises practitioners for providing affordable medical treatment and quality patient-centered care

In celebration of National Nurse Practitioner Week (Nov. 8-14), MinuteClinic, the pioneer and largest provider of retail health care centers in the United States, salutes practitioners across the country who deliver patient-centered care and help to increase access to high-quality, affordable medical treatment.

12 Nov 2009