« August 2008 | Main | October 2008 »
September 26, 2008
Medical Device Boasts Encouraging Data for Hepatitis C Treatment
A medical device designed to clear viruses and immunosuppressive proteins from the blood reduced Hepatitis C viral load for several people on dialysis. Further case studies will determine if the Aethlon Hemopurifier® can induce a rapid virological response against Hepatitis C.
Aethlon Medical Reports Promising Treatment Results In Hepatitis-C Infected Patients
September 21, 2008
Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD) announced preliminary data of Hepatitis-C (HCV) infected patients treated with the Aethlon Hemopurifier®, a medical device designed to assist the immune response in combating infectious disease. The HCV treated patients were among end-stage renal disease (kidney dialysis) patients enrolled in human safety studies being conducted at the Fortis Hospital, in Delhi, India.
In the studies, robust viral load reductions were observed in tested patients completing a three-treatment Hemopurifier® protocol. The resulting data documented that two of three HCV patients tested responded with measurable viral load reductions during the course of three 4-hour Hemopurifier® treatments. The three treatments were administered during scheduled dialysis therapy every other day over the span of five days. The third patient showed both increases and decreases in viral load during the course of treatment, but demonstrated an overall reduction in follow-on viral load tests. Given the small sample size, viral load data was averaged for all 3 patients. Average initial HCV viral load was 3.13 x 108 viral units per ml of blood. After completion of three Hemopurifier® treatments, viral load was reduced an average 57% (final 4.1x107 IU/ml). The stepwise drop in HCV viral load averaged 36% per treatment. Follow-on testing indicated that HCV viral load was 60% lower than initial viral load values when measured three days after final Hemopurifier® treatment, and at seven days post treatment, viral load declined to 82% below starting viral load values. Additionally, none of the patients were being treated with antiviral drug therapy. Viral load measurements were performed with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Control samples were measured in duplicate while treatment samples were generally measured in triplicate. In conclusion, the Hemopurifier® treatment of HCV infected patients undergoing dialysis resulted in a net viral load reduction of 60 to 80% with the effects of treatment progressing at least 7 days beyond Hemopurifier® treatment.
"The observation of progressive viral load reduction after only three Hemopurifier® treatments suggests that extended Hemopurifier® treatment applications could effectively inhibit disease progression in HCV patients," stated Aethlon Chairman and CEO, James A. Joyce. "We now plan to further demonstrate a rapid virological response (RVR) through a case study of an HCV patient receiving up to four weeks of Hemopurifier® therapy." Studies have shown that rapid virological response (RVR) at week four is a strong predictor of sustained virological response (SVR) in HCV patients. SVR is defined as undetectable viral load for a minimum period of five months after completion of treatment.
The opportunity for new antiviral strategies to fight HCV is significant, as approximately 180 million people worldwide (3% of the world's population) are HCV infected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 30-50% of infected patients beneficially respond to the 48-week pegylated interferon-ribavirin treatment standard.
The Hemopurifier® is a first-in-class medical device designed to assist the immune response in combating infectious disease by rapidly clearing viruses and immunosuppressive proteins from circulation. The device provides a novel mechanism to complement antiviral therapies by suppressing the emergence of viral strains that cause drug resistance. The Hemopurifier® is also positioned to fill the unmet clinical need of treating patients resistant to drug therapy or infected by viral pathogens that are untreatable with drug and vaccine therapy. In HCV care, the device is positioned as an adjunct to improve clinical outcomes of the pegylated interferon-ribavirin treatment standard. Other opportunities in HCV care include the treatment of individuals who fail or are unable to endure standard of care therapy, end-stage renal patients infected with HCV, and HIV patients co-infected with HCV.
About Aethlon Medical
Aethlon Medical is the developer of the Hemopurifier®, a first-in-class medical device designed to treat infectious disease. The Hemopurifier® provides real-time therapeutic filtration of infectious viruses and immunosuppressive particles, and is positioned to address the treatment of drug and vaccine resistant viruses. Additionally, the device holds promise in cancer care, as research studies have verified the Hemopurifier® is able to capture immunosuppressive particles secreted by tumors. The Hemopurifier® is designed to act both as a stand-alone therapeutic, and as an adjunct treatment to enhance clinical benefit of established therapies. Pre-clinical studies conducted by researchers representing leading government and non-government health organizations both in the United States and abroad have documented the effectiveness of the Hemopurifier® in capturing from circulation the viruses that constitute pandemic threats, including H5N1 Avian Influenza (bird flu), and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) from circulation. The company is conducting studies to support the use of the Hemopurifier® as a broad-spectrum treatment countermeasure against bioterror threats, including Smallpox, and Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa hemorrhagic fever. Regulatory and commercialization initiatives in the United States are presently focused on bioterror threats, while international initiatives are directed toward naturally evolving pandemic threats, and chronic infectious disease conditions including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis-C (HCV). Aethlon demonstrated the safety of the Hemopurifier® in a 24-treatment human study at the Apollo Hospital in Delhi, India, and is currently conducting further human studies at the Fortis Hospital, also located in Delhi. The company has submitted an investigational device exemption (IDE) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance the Hemopurifier® as a broad-spectrum treatment countermeasure against category "A" bioterror threats. Additional information regarding Aethlon Medical and its Hemopurifier® technology is available online at http://www.aethlonmedical.com.
Certain of the statements herein may be forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements involve assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Aethlon Medical, Inc to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the Company's ability to raise capital when needed, the Company's ability to complete the development of its planned products, the ability of the Company to obtain FDA and other regulatory approvals permitting the sale of its products, the Company's ability to manufacture its products and provide its services, the impact of government regulations, patent protection on the Company's proprietary technology, product liability exposure, uncertainty of market acceptance, competition, technological change, and other risk factors. In such instances, actual results could differ materially as a result of a variety of factors, including the risks associated with the effect of changing economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Aethlon Medical, Inc.
URL for Article Source:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122141.php
Posted by Editors at 02:54 PM --- Printer-friendly version
Hepatitis C Study Increases Interest in SCV-07
Trial results show SciClone's SCV-07 effectively reduces Hepatitis C viral load in previous non-responders with genotype 1. Based on these encouraging results, a follow-up study to evaluate SCV-07's potential to replace or improve the current Hepatitis C standard treatment will unfold next year.
UPDATE 2-SciClone hepatitis C drug shows promise in trial
Mon Sep 22, 2008
By Esha Dey
Sept 22 (Reuters) - SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc (SCLN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said its drug candidate for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) showed antiviral activity in a mid-stage trial for patients who had relapsed after responding to prior treatments. The drug, SCV-07, was tested in a trial that evaluated its effect on hepatitis C viral load, a measure of the severity of a viral infection, and other measures of immune response.
The trial enrolled 34 patients who were infected with the difficult-to-treat genotype 1 strain of HCV and had previously responded to treatment but subsequently relapsed. SCV-07 demonstrated antiviral activity in some treated patients in the higher dosage groups, and the decrease in viral load in these patients was accompanied by an increase in an immunological biomarker usually associated with response against HCV.
"SciClone plans to investigate further SCV-07's potential to prime the human immune system against HCV and plans to discuss with regulators the initiation of a follow-up Phase II-B trial," Chief Executive Friedhelm Blobel said in a statement.
BWS Financial analyst Hamed Khorsand said the company could start the follow-up study in 2009.
"A partner for SCV-07 could be found now that there is some Phase II data under the drug's belt. However, we think SciClone would move forward with a Phase II-B trial before seeking a partner," Khorsand added. He has a "buy" rating on the stock.
SciClone said the follow-up trial could be used to determine whether SCV-07 is capable of replacing or improving the response to the current standard-of-care treatment. A combination of an enhanced form of interferon and ribavirin is currently the standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C.
Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Jason Kolbert said it's too early for a partnership as the company needs more data on SCV-07. The analyst has a "neutral" rating on the stock.
SciClone shares, which have shed 38 percent of their value since the start of the year, were trading flat at $1.27 in midday trade on Nasdaq. They touched a high of $1.38 earlier. (Editing by Anthony Kurian, Himani Sarkar;)
URL Source for Article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUSBNG15855320080922
Posted by Editors at 02:50 PM --- Printer-friendly version
September 22, 2008
New Hope for HCV
Funded by Pfizer, Tacere's licensed RNAi technology could change the way Hepatitis C is treated. A mechanism that inhibits genes from transferring information and creating new genetic material, RNAi-based drugs may be able to silence the genes that cause disease.
New life for hepatitis C treatment
Friday, September 12, 2008 | Modified: Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sara Hall and Mike Catelani have come a long way since Tacere Therapeutics Inc.’s early days, sitting at Starbucks formulating their company.
The two executives rescued a potential treatment for the hepatitis C virus from their former company when it shut down U.S. operations in 2006.
Today, they are benefiting from an agreement with Pfizer Inc. that could take the company to new heights.
Tacere — based in a 1,500-square-foot space in the San Jose BioCenter incubator — has contracts worth $205 million if it meets upcoming milestones.
“If we didn’t start Tacere, (the treatment) basically would have died,” said Catelani, president and chief financial officer. “You get to take a shot like that, and there’s a chance you can make a difference in people’s lives.”
“We definitely bet right,” said Hall, chief executive officer.
Tacere’s treatment is based on RNAi, a mechanism that inhibits genes from transferring information and creating new RNA. Scientists believe that RNAi, which occurs naturally within cells, can be used to silence genes that cause disease.
“The underlying mechanism of RNAi is validated,” said Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Edward Tenthoff. “The therapeutic effect, the drug ability, has some proof of concept, but there are no RNAi drugs approved.”
Tacere’s first-in-class drug, TT-033, is a multitargeted approach focused on the hepatitis C virus, or HCV. TT-033 contains three separate RNAi molecules designed to shut down replication of all strains of the virus. Hall describes this approach as a “cocktail” in one drug.
The blood-borne infectious disease, caused by HCV, affects the liver and is spread by blood-to-blood contact. There is currently no vaccine to prevent the hepatitis C infection.
With only one drug approved to treat it, Hall said patients who contract the disease basically feel like they have the flu for a year. Symptoms can be medically managed, but only about 50 percent of patients can be cleared of the virus through medicines.
An estimated 200 million people worldwide are infected with the chronic condition, Catelani said, representing a $3.5 billion annual market.
Prior to founding Tacere, Hall was the CEO of Benitec Ltd., an Australian company developing RNAi-based therapeutics. Catelani was the company’s CFO. Hall joined Benitec through its acquisition of Sunnyvale-based Avocel Inc., also involved in RNAi. Ultimately, Benitec shut down its U.S. operations, and Tacere’s founders were eventually able to exclusively license the technology.
“We believed the hepatitis C program was of significant value, and we felt if we had a better corporate structure, we could do something with it,” Hall said.
Having unsuccessfully sought venture-capital backing, Tacere was contacted by Pfizer. Tacere entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Pfizer in January for the HCV compound and could receive potential payments of more than $145 million, along with future royalties on sales of the compound. Pfizer is also providing Tacere with funding to complete the necessary studies, as part of the initial phase of collaboration. The collaboration is focused on completing all necessary studies for submission of an investigational new drug application, as well as clinical development and commercialization.
Dr. Curt Scribner, senior vice president of clinical and regulatory affairs with RRD International LLC, is working as a consultant with Tacere. He said it’s one of the best small company-large company collaborations because it combines Tacere’s expertise with Pfizer’s funding to develop TT-033.
“They can only take it so far without a huge infusion of money,” said John Rossi, chairman and professor of the division of molecular biology at City of Hope, a biomedical research center near Los Angeles. “Pfizer has the capacity to make this a real treatment.”
The agreement with Pfizer is for worldwide rights, excluding Asia. Tacere’s initial investment came in June 2007 when it struck a deal with Tokyo’s Oncolys BioPharma to co-develop a treatment for hepatitis C in Asia. In March 2008, the two companies entered into a $60 million deal that will allow Oncolys to acquire Asian rights to TT-033.
With plenty of cash on hand, Catelani said Tacere isn’t seeking funding in the near future.
The company is in the midst of animal toxicology safety studies and later this month will move into studies involving nonhuman primates. It hopes to treat humans before the year’s end.
“If the safety data continues on the same lines, we feel confident in doing a Phase 1,” Hall said.
She added that if Tacere hits the next milestone, it will be capitalized for six years. In the meantime, Catelani said the company is also looking into other products to start developing in its pipeline.
“There are a number of technologies that have the potential to revolutionize medicine — if it works,” said another Tacere co-founder Amit Kumar, a previous venture capitalist and current CEO of biotech company Combi Matrix Corp.
Tacere faces competition in the industry from companies such as Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sirna Therapeutics, which was acquired by Merck & Co. for $1.1 billion in cash, Tenthoff said. However, the analyst said he wasn’t aware of other companies working on RNAi for HCV. He said given the huge treatment opportunity, speed to market and effect are going to be widely important.
“Most people feel pretty comfortable with the mechanism of RNAi,” he said. “The magic, the challenge, the most important thing now is to turn those small interfering RNAs into drugs, and that ain’t easy, and that’s where we’re seeing a lot of money invested.”
At-a-glance
Tacere Therapeutics Inc.
Headquarters: San Jose
CEO: Sara Hall
Employees: 5-6
Year founded: 2006
Phone: 408.960.2205
Web site: www.tacerebio.com
Lisa Sibley can be reached at 408.299.1841 or lsibley@bizjournals.com.
URL for article source:
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories
/2008/09/15/focus1.html?b=1221451200^1698814&page=2
Posted by Editors at 11:01 AM --- Printer-friendly version
September 15, 2008
Hepatitis B Viral Load Measurement Improves
Roche’s new Hepatitis B test brings a higher level of specificity to viral load detection. For those with chronic Hepatitis B, this improvement in patient monitoring favorably impacts their therapeutic outcome.
by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.
Infecting about two billion people worldwide each year, the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most serious types of viral hepatitis. Over the past decade, a variety of medications have been developed and approved to help those with HBV – however, the drugs rarely provide a cure. To determine if their treatment is working and how severe their illness is, physicians continually monitor their patients’ viral load. In September of 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new, more sensitive test to determine HBV viral load in an effort to improve the HBV monitoring process.
Hepatitis B Treatment
Although they usually do not eliminate the virus, the FDA has approved seven drugs for treating chronic HBV. In order for a treatment to be considered a cure, the affected individual must have a loss of Hepatitis B virus from their body and must have developed protective antibodies against it. Despite the lack of totality, these drugs have been shown to significantly decrease the risk of liver damage from HBV by slowing down or stopping the virus from reproducing. Aside from the interferons, most of the medications must be taken for at least a year. The approved Hepatitis B drugs include:
1. Interferon Alpha – approved in 1991
2. Pegylated Interferon – approved in 2005
3. Lamivudine – approved in 1998
4. Adefovir Dipivoxil – approved in 2002
5. Entecavir – approved in 2005
6. Telbivudine – approved in 2006
7. Tenofovir – approved in 2008
When progressing with one of the above HBV treatments, doctors test their patients’ viral load:
· to establish a baseline level of infection
· during treatment as an aid in assessing the person’s response to therapy.
Viral Load Test
Because the goal of Hepatitis B therapy is to treat until the virus is undetectable, it is critical for viral load monitoring tests to be able to quantify very low levels of virus. Similarly, it is important for the test to quantify very high levels of virus (higher than 100 million IU/mL), an indicator of the need for more or less aggressive treatment.
A collective analysis of tests is used to determine a person’s HBV viral load. Joining the existing biochemical and serological viral load tests, Roche’s COBAS Taqman HBV Test has just been approved as the first nucleic acid HBV test. The first assay for quantifying HBV DNA in the U.S, the COBAS Taqman test uses real time PCR technology to determine the amount of Hepatitis B virus DNA present. By providing a significantly broader range of detection, this new technology fosters a more exact calculation of the amount of Hepatitis B virus in a person’s body.
Daniel G. Schultz, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health says, “Measuring a patient’s HBV viral load is an important aspect of managing chronic Hepatitis B infections. The COBAS TaqMan test gives health care providers a new and sensitive tool for this process.”
Roche’s nucleic acid assay will help physicians fine tune HBV treatment. Knowing more specifically how much HBV is in a person’s body can better guide the therapeutic process. Although improving HBV monitoring may not seem like a big deal, it brings the likelihood of an HBV cure closer within modern medicine’s reach.
References:
http://www.biospectrumasia.com/content/050908OTH7019.asp, Roche gets FDA approval for its Hepatitis B viral load test, Retrieved September 12, 2008, BioSpectrum, September 2008.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01880.html, FDA Approves DNA Test to Measure Hepatitis B Virus Levels, Retrieved September 12, 2008, US Food and Drug Administration, September 4, 2008.
http://www.hepb.org/patients/hepatitis_b_treatment.htm, Approved Drugs for Adults, Retrieved September 14, 2008, Hepatitis B Foundation, 2008.
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_b/news/2008/090908_a.html, FDA Approves First Hepatitis B Viral Load Test, Retrieved September 12, 2008, Roche press release, hivandhepatitis.com, September 2008.
http://www.hospitalbuyer.com/medical-specialties/hematology-oncology
/hep-b-viral-load-test-cleared-2827/, Hep B Viral Load Test Cleared, Retrieved September 12, 2008, Watershed Publishing, LLC, 2008.
http://www.news-medical.net/print_article.asp?id=41212, FDA approves DNA test to measure hepatitis B viral load, Retrieved September 14, 2008, News-medical.net, September 2008.
Posted by Editors at 02:56 PM --- Printer-friendly version
September 05, 2008
HCV Genotype 1 Viral Loads Decline
A six-month follow-up to Intercell's Phase II trial of their Hepatitis C vaccine with a topical toll-like receptor agonist showed a significant reduction in viral load. While data from two weeks after the vaccination series showed promise, participants with Hepatitis C genotype 1 had viral loads that continued to decline six months after treatment.
Favourable Six Months Follow-Up Results From Intercell's Phase II Therapeutic Hepatitis C Program
- Long term follow up results from chronically infected Hepatitis C patients strongly confirm and exceed positive data obtained earlier in 2008 - Study is the first to show a statistically significant and long-term antiviral effect of therapeutic Hepatitis C vaccination - Data pave the way and strongly support move into a second generation vaccine formulated with Intercell's adjuvant IC31(R) acting through TLR activation
VIENNA, Austria, Sept 03, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Today, Intercell AG (ICLL) announced the six months follow up data of its exploratory clinical Phase II study targeting treatment-naive Hepatitis C genotype-1 patients. As previously reported in February 2008, in this trial the therapeutic Hepatitis C vaccine (IC41) comprising five synthetic T-cell peptides and Intercell's first-generation poly-Arginine adjuvant (IC30) disclosed a statistically significant reduction of viral load in the blood of chronically infected patients up to 2 weeks after the last vaccination. The current long term follow up results show that this reduction was significantly more pronounced at six months after the final vaccination.
In the open label controlled multicenter Phase II study 50 genotype-1 patients, naive to standard treatment were enrolled for receiving a treatment schedule consisting of 8 intra-dermal IC41 vaccinations in biweekly intervals with topical application of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist imiquimod. The previous analysis of 46 patients at 2 weeks after the last vaccination with IC41 showed already a statistically significant (p=0.001) HCV RNA decline of 0.2 log. The present follow-up data from 33 patients at six months after end of IC41 vaccination revealed an even greater viral load decline of 0.46 log (p=0.001). Interestingly, the virus decline (0.6 log) at the six months time point was most pronounced in patients with high initial viral load (> 2 million copies/ml). A parallel study arm conducted in 21 treatment-naive patients where the imiquimod application was omitted, did not show a significant reduction of the viral load. Thus the results strongly support the notion that the future co-administration of a TLR adjuvant, like IC31(R), is pivotal for the therapeutic effect of the vaccine.
"Our study is the first report to show significant long-term viral load effects of therapeutic vaccination. In particular the increasing RNA decline up to 6 months after vaccination is extremely encouraging and finally suggests the formulation of our vaccine with IC31(R), a strong TLR agonist. Furthermore our vaccine in future trials may be combined with standard therapy or novel antivirals." states Alexander von Gabain, Chief Scientific Officer of Intercell.
Although options for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C with Interferon/Ribavirin have improved, treatment will remain very difficult and a significant unmet medical need, especially in the case of Genotype 1. Novel immunotherapies, and possibly therapeutic vaccines, might become an option in the arena of existing and future HCV combination treatments. Thus, Intercell will follow its development strategy that will also take advantage of an enlarged antigen portfolio and of IC31(R), Intercell's second-generation adjuvant that has recently demonstrated the generation of T-cell responses, in human vaccine trials, to a level not yet seen for other known adjuvants.
About Hepatitis C
HCV is a major cause of chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 170 million people worldwide are chronic HCV carriers (3% of the world's population), including about 10 million Europeans, 3.9 million Americans and 2 million Japanese. 35,000 new infections occur in the United States alone each year. The substantial unmet medical need is underscored by the fact that each year 8,000 to 10,000 deaths and 1,000 liver transplants in the United States are due to HCV.
Currently, there is no vaccine against Hepatitis C available, and the infection can only be treated with a combination of Interferon and Ribavirin -- a long-term therapy with limited efficacy and substantial side effects. It also gives rise to high treatment costs for patients. In 2002, worldwide sales of HCV drugs totalled around EUR 2.8bn, and demand has since grown significantly. The market has been seen to expand to about EUR 3.5bn by 2006.
About Intercell AG
Intercell AG is a growing biotechnology company that designs and develops novel vaccines for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases with substantial unmet medical needs. The Company's technology platforms include an antigen-discovery system, two proprietary adjuvants and a novel patch-based delivery system. Based on these technologies, Intercell has strategic partnerships with a number of global pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, Merck & Co., Inc., Wyeth, Sanofi Pasteur, Kirin and the Statens Serum Institut.
The Company's lead product is a vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis. That vaccine successfully concluded pivotal Phase III clinical trials in 2006, and Intercell is seeking marketing approval in the United States, Europe, Australia and Canada. Approval in those markets is anticipated during the second half of 2008.
The Company's development pipeline includes Phase II vaccine programs for Pseudomonas (in-house development) and S. aureus, which is being developed with Merck & Co. Inc. The Company's novel Travelers' Diarrhea vaccine patch will enter Phase III testing in 2009. Intercell is also in clinical trials of a vaccine enhancement patch with injected pandemic influenza vaccines (one shot plus patch). In addition, five other products focused on infectious diseases are in preclinical development.
Intercell is listed on the Vienna stock exchange under the symbol "ICLL".
For more information, please visit: http://www.intercell.com
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Intercell AG and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Intercell AG to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Intercell AG is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Intercell AG
http://www.intercell.com
Copyright (C) 2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved End of Story
URL for article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/favourable-six-months-follow
-up-results/story.aspx?guid=%7B157839DE-3B3E-4FF4-AB69-EB9EE125BF57%
7D&dist=hppr
Posted by Editors at 11:01 AM --- Printer-friendly version
Former Anti-Itch Drug Useful Against Hep C
California scientists have found that an old antihistamine drastically reduces Hepatitis C viral replication.
Old drug shows new use against hepatitis C
STANFORD, Calif., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've developed a novel approach to fighting the hepatitis C virus's reproduction process using an obsolete antihistamine.
The Stanford University Medical Center scientists said the advance involves two discoveries. "One is that a protein called NS4B is instrumental in binding some of the genetic material, or RNA, and allowing the hepatitis C virus to replicate," the researchers said. "The other is that the former anti-itching drug clemizole hydrochloride could hinder that protein, resulting in a tenfold decrease in virus replication with no apparent harm to infected liver-like cells."
Since the former antihistamine drug has previously been used by people, it is automatically eligible for human testing.
"We're excited about this and we're actively moving forward toward clinical trials," said Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, an associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology and a senior co-author of the paper with Professor Stephen Quake. The lead authors are Dr. Shirit Einav and bioengineer Doron Gerber.
The research that also included doctoral student Paul Bryson, postdoctoral student Ella Sklan, research associate Menashe Elazar and Sebastian Maerkl, a former member of Quake's group, appears in the online edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology.
© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
URL for article source: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/09/02/Old_drug_shows_new_use
_against_hepatitis_C/UPI-92061220375093/
Posted by Editors at 10:52 AM --- Printer-friendly version