Hepatitis E Vaccine Appears Safe, Effective

A new vaccine designed to protect individuals from becoming infected with the hepatitis E virus appears to be virtually foolproof, ongoing Chinese research indicates.


After analyzing results from the third phase of their study, a team of scientists led by Dr Ning-Shao Xia, from the Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases at Xiamen University in Xiamen, found that three standard doses of the so-called "HEV239" vaccine, given over a six-month period, afforded patients full immunity from the disease up to a year after the final innoculation, without prompting any serious side effects.

Vertex Reports Success In Second Major Hepatitis Drug Study

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) reported the success of the second of three key late-stage studies of hepatitis-C treatment, telaprevir, essentially curing 72% of patients using the drug.

The study, a supplement to the larger studies intended to support teleprevir's approval, showed there was no benefit to extending treatment to 48 weeks from 24 weeks in the majority of patients. The results are notable because they improve the sustained viral response, or SVR, which is essentially a cure for the liver disease, and shorten the length of therapy for most patients.

Vertex shares recently slid 2.3% to $36.14 ...

Infergen Gives Hepatitis C Patients An Extra Chance

Approximately 50 percent of chronic hepatitis C patients do not respond to their initial course of therapy, according to Bruce R. Bacon M.D. of Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Dr. Bacon is the lead investigator of the registration trial for Infergen, a new treatment for Hepatitis C patients that recieved FDA approval last month.

Chronic HBV Raises Lymphoma Risk

Chronic hepatitis B virus infection -- common throughout Asia and Africa and often present since early in life -- raises the risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a large South Korean study confirmed.

Among individuals who were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), the adjusted hazard ratio for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was 1.74 (95% CI 1.45 to 2.09, P<0.0001), compared with those who tested negative, according to Eric A. Engels, MD, of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md., and colleagues.