Monthly Dose of Human Genome Hepatitis Drug Shown Effective

A midstage study showed a monthly dose of a Human Genome Sciences Inc. drug has so far shown to be just as effective in treating hepatitis C as the current standard treatment of a weekly dose.

Clinical research executive Mani Subramanian said the three-quarter reduction in Zalbin injections "has the potential to offer an important option" to treat people with genotypes 2 and 3 hepatitis C. That is inflammation of the liver, and genotypes 2 and 3 of the virus are generally easier to treat than genotype 1, the most common one in the U.S.

All About Hepatitis C

Although it wasn't discovered until 1989, approximately 170 million people are currently infected with hepatitis C. It is a DNA virus primarily transmitted through bodily fluids and can be diagnosed by taking a blood or serum sample.

The hepatitis C virus affects the liver by triggering the release of infection-fighting antibodies which cause swelling and inflammation. Over the course of time, gradual liver damage may lead to failure of the organ and the need for a transplant. The chance of liver failure mostly depends on whether an individual has acute (self-limiting) or chronic (long-standing) hepatitis C.

20 Percent of At-Risk Newborns Are Not Receiving Preventative Hepatitis B Vaccine and Treatments, Study Reveals

Approximately 20 percent of infants born to mothers with hepatitis B are not receiving the proper preventative treatments, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in a recent study published in the April 2010 issue ofPediatrics.

Mouse With Human Liver May Lead to Cure for Hepatitis B and C

Scientists have successfully grown a human liver inside a mouse host. The scientists have created this testing subject in order to study a human liver infected with Hepatitis B or C.

Humans and chimpanzees are the only mammals susceptible to a number of fatal liver diseases making it virtually impossible for scientists to study the liver during drug trials and experimental treatmentmethods. Most human organs can be grown in a petri dish, but human hepatocytes are very difficult to culture and often do not grow at all.