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Extended Drug Therapy for Hepatitis Is Challenged
Patients who do not initially respond to standard drug therapy for treatment of hepatitis C are unlikely to respond to long-term maintenance therapy as well, according to a new study. Yet many patients who do not at first respond to drugs are placed on

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) Release: Data Demonstrating Significant Efficacy of Viread(R) in Treating Chronic Hepatitis B Published in New England Journal of Medicine
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the publication of detailed 48-week data from two Phase III pivotal clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of its once-daily Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the

Interferon as long-term treatment for hepatitis C not effective
Results of the 3-year study, called the HALT-C (Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis) Trial, appear in today's issue of . The researchers found no difference in the rate of progression of liver disease among patients who received

UPDATES AND COMMENTARY

Hep C Study Reveals Taribavirin a Good Alternative to Ribavirin
At the end of a 48-week, Phase IIb study, taribavirin shows similar effectiveness as ribavirin in reducing Hepatitis C viral load. However, participants taking taribavirin had a significantly lower rate of anemia....

Schering-Plough Developing Potent Protease Inhibitor for Hepatitis C
An ongoing Phase IIa study on Schering-Plough's next generation Hepatitis C protease inhibitor is encouraging. According to the company, SCH 900518 is 10 times more potent than other medications in this class and is active against highly resistant Hepatitis C...

New Drug Finds Viral Hiding Spots
A new, experimental drug helps the immune system locate a virus by flagging cells that have turned inside out. Hepatitis C is among the viruses that could benefit from Bavituximab's unique strategy of exposing a virus in hiding....

Hepatology 1997 Apr;25(4):1028-1031
Long-term evolution of fibrosis from chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis C: morphometric analysis of repeated biopsies.

Kage M, Shimamatu K, Nakashima E, Kojiro M, Inoue O, Yano M

First Department of Pathology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan.

To clarify the characteristics of fibrosis developed in the process from chronic hepatitis C to cirrhosis, a morphometric analysis of liver biopsy samples was conducted on 25 chronic hepatitis C patients and 20 chronic hepatitis B patients (controls). Hepatitis C patients were followed up for 3 to 23 years. The mean number of liver biopsies performed on these patients was 3.8. Each biopsy was evaluated for the degree of fibrosis by using two methods: a semiquantitative method with a staging scoring system, and morphometry using a computed image analysis system. A significant correlation was observed between the Stage and the area of fibrosis (AF = the ratio of the area of fibrosis to that of the entire tissue specimen). The AF in cirrhosis was significantly higher in hepatitis C patients than in hepatitis B patients. The ratio of AF in the last biopsy sample to AF in the initial biopsy sample was significantly higher in hepatitis C patients than in hepatitis B patients. Evolution from chronic hepatitis C to cirrhosis occurred more frequently in patients aged > or = 50 years, and this time period was 1.8 times shorter than that in patients aged less than 50 years. AF in the initial biopsy related significantly to the period of evolution from chronic hepatitis C to cirrhosis. AF in the initial biopsy might be a predictive factor for prognosis.

PMID: 9096615, MUID: 97250932

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