Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: hepatitis + inhibits + virus  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)

New Treatment Therapy Helps Inhibit Hepatitis C Science Daily (press release) - Jul 31, 2008 Current therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) requires up to 48 weeks of treatment. In addition, the study showed that R1626 was well ... Idenix Pharmaceuticals Advances HCV Discovery Program to Clinic Earthtimes (press release), UK - Jul 29, 2008 Idenix's current focus is on the treatment of infections caused by hepatitis C virus and HIV. For further information about Idenix, please refer to ...IDIX Pro-Pharmaceuticals Appoints Noted Pioneer in Liver Diseases ... FOXBusiness - Jul 10, 2008 Currently more than four million people in the US have Hepatitis C Virus, and many will develop severe fibrosis and liver failure over the next two decades. ...PRW US Patent Disclosures TMCnet - Jul 31, 2008 7345020, titled "Mimetics of CD4 That Inhibit Immune Responses." It covers new chemical entities relating to inhibitors of the CD4 T-cell receptor. ... Sick and Down RedOrbit, TX - Jul 27, 2008 One of these, interferonalpha, is among the most effective drugs for patients battling cancer and the hepatitis C virus. Yet the treatment has become ... Roche posts very good results: strong market outperformance ... Business-News, Switzerland - Jul 20, 2008 Pertuzumab inhibits the pairing of HER2 with other HER receptors, a key mechanism of tumour growth. Final results from a phase II trial in women with ... Cancer Treatment Application of the Aethlon Hemopurifier(R ... eMediaWorld.com Newswire Press Release Distribution Service (press release), AZ - Jul 24, 2008 The paper further discusses the novel therapeutic approach of the Aethlon Hemopurifier? to capture and inhibit the spread of such immunosuppressive exosomes ...OTC:AEMD WHITEHOUSE STATION, NJ--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- StreetInsider.com (subscription), MI - Aug 5, 2008 Most subjects had other risk factors for cancer including tobacco use, papillomavirus and active hepatitis B virus infection. It is unknown if these cancer ... BUYINS.NET: (VPHM) SqueezeTrigger Price is $12.177. There is ... Trading Markets (press release), CA - Aug 1, 2008 ViroPharma is developing maribavir for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV), infection, and HCV-796 for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection ...VPHM - OTC:CMTX

Cyclosporine inhibits hepatitis C virus in vitro

Liver transplant patients with hepatitis C virus ( HCV ) achieved significantly better long-term viral response when taking the immunosuppressive agent Cyclosporine along with Interferon-Ribavirin combination therapy.
Cyclosporine also showed efficacy against hepatitis C virus in vitro.

Hepatitis C always recurs after liver transplantation, often damaging the new organ and rendering patients ineligible for retransplantation. To address this problem, patients with hepatitis C often undergo Interferon-Ribavirin combination therapy after receiving a liver transplant in hopes of a sustained virologic response. At the same time, of course, the patients must take immunosuppressive agents to guard against transplant rejection.

The most commonly used anti-rejection medication is Tacrolimus, although Cyclosporine is also used. The latter drug has been shown to have anti-viral activity against HIV, herpes simplex and vaccinia virus, leading researchers to speculate it might also inhibit hepatitis C virus.
To examine this hypothesis, they analyzed the impact of the drug in a liver transplant population. They also studied its effect on hepatitis C in vitro.

For the in vitro study, the researchers, led by Roberto J. Firpi, of the University of Florida, treated the HCV replicon line, GSB1, with varying doses of Cyclosporine for 48 hours and examined the results. They found that Cyclosporine reduced HCV replication by 20 percent, compared to no reduction with Tacrolimus. Furthermore, the Cyclosporine appeared to work through a different pathway compared to Interferon.

Then, the researchers retrospectively examined the cases of 115 people infected with hepatitis C who had undergone liver transplantation at the University of Florida between 1991 and November 2002 and had received Interferon-based therapy alongside their anti-rejection medications. After 48 weeks, 46 percent of the patients taking Cyclosporine had achieved a sustained virological response, compared with just 27 percent of the patients taking Tacrolimus.

" Our study suggests that Cyclosporine may play a beneficial role as primary immunosuppression for patients transplanted for HCV infection and may offer an advantage to Tacrolimus in those patients undergoing IFN-based therapy," the authors report. In addition, they confirm antiviral activity by the drug in cell cultures, having found that, "combination of Cyclosporine and Interferon achieve better antiviral effect than either one alone."

Of note, considerably more patients taking Tacrolimus had to reduce or stop the therapy due to side effects. Also of possible significance, more patients taking Cyclosporine died, mostly due to infections and hepatitis complications, though this may be attributable to a longer follow-up period for that group.

Still, the indication that Cyclosporine had novel antiviral properties invites further investigation, the authors write. A prospective randomized comparative trial between Cyclosporine and TAC should further evaluate their observations.

Source: Liver Transplantation, 2006