Hepatitis C

Researchers conducted an analysis of studies that spanned more than two decades and found that outbreaks of sexually transmitted hepatitis C is increasing among men who are HIV positive and have sex with other men.

Scientists in Italy say they have gained new insight into how the hepatitis C virus replicates as a result of studying the behavior of a key enzyme and creating a computer model that shows how it interacts with the viral genome.

Several states – including Delaware and Georgia – are beginning to take action to increase diagnosis and access to treatment for patients with hepatitis C. The news comes in the wake of several studies showing that patients are often denied treatment. In addition, a highly regarded health council recently asked the White House to remove the restrictions that Medicaid often places on costly treatments that effectively amount to a cure for the potentially deadly disease.

The three-day gathering drew policymakers, patient groups, and physicians and other key stakeholders from more than 60 countries around the world

Hepatitis C patients' liver damage may be severely underestimated and under diagnosed, according to a recently published study inThe American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Researchers report that nearly one in four patients with hepatitis C are denied initial approval for treatment.

The debate over whether state Medicaid programs are violating federal law by restricting access to pricey new hepatitis-C drugs is getting hotter. The While House is under new pressure to step in.

Experts from the Public Health Service and President Obama's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS have asked the administration in a letter to widen access to new, high-cost medications that successfully treat hepatitis C.

Researchers have struggled to grow the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a clinical lab setting since its discovery in 1989. However, a recent discovery about HCV genetics may have just changed that.

A new strategy may be able to effectively prevent transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted viruses, and additional illnesses.

It is well-known that patients with hepatitis C face a higher risk of liver complications; however, a new study discovered that the heart could also be in trouble.

Hepatitis C medication development pipeline still strong, with several additional drugs poised for approval.

Although baby boomers make up 75% of Americans living with chronic hepatitis C (HCV), the majority are unaware that they are infected.

July 28 is World Hepatitis Day. The organizers of the awareness campaign are using a variety of channels, including social media, to educate and inform patients and clinicians about hepatitis prevention and treatment.

While alternative and complimentary medicine make their way closer to the mainstream there are still some areas of concern with using them while treating hepatitis C. There have also been questions raised about the costs associated with using new medications to treat the disease.

Awareness-raising day included events throughout the country aimed at reducing the high incidence of infection among people in black communities.

Patients with hepatitis C may not be diagnosed with the condition until their liver damage has progressed to the point of needing a transplant. They may also be suffering from renal failure which requires a different look at treatment options in order to improve overall health.

In the United States genotypes 1 and 2 may be the most common forms of the disease but there are many others, each with their own treatment options and availabilities to patients.

Patients with hepatitis C can go years without having any idea of their condition. Identifying these patients and getting them the treatment they need has become a growing focus in the medical community over the past several years.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved daclatasvir (Daklinza/ Bristol-Myers Squibb) for use with sofosbuvir for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 3 infections.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Technivie (ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir) for use in combination with ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C virus genotype 4 infections in patients without scarring and cirrhosis.

Despite the hand-wringing over the difficulty of eliminating hepatitis C infection in hard-to-reach groups, the Eurasian nation of Georgia is doing just that, with the help of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It helped a lot that Gilead is donating the antivirals to wipe it out, the CDC says

A novel hepatitis C treatment that combines sofosbuvir with another drug not yet approved in the US had a 97% success rate in a group of patients who were coinfected with HIV, according to researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

As hepatitis C becomes a curable condition and fatty liver disease becomes a growing problem hepatologists are being forced to shift their focus to help a new patient population without some of the tools they have become used to having at their disposal.

Like many urban centers in the Northeastern US, Philadelphia has a chronic shortage of donor livers. But the advent of new antivirals that eradicate hepatitis C infection is starting to change that picture. In a visit to Hahnemann University Hospital, MD Magazine spoke to specialists and patients who are seeing what a difference those drugs can make. Video interviews follow the article.

One of the biggest challenges in the fight against HIV and viral hepatitis has been the lack of knowledge some countries have about the spread of the diseases and ways to monitor the problem before it gets out of hand. The World Health Organization has been working to combat this issue in Europe and other parts of the world.

As hepatitis C becomes a more treatable disease the World Health Organization is increasing its efforts to treat people who are also infected with HIV as well as hepatitis C.

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Gilead Sciences recently announced that Japanese regulators have approved its single-tablet combination drug Harvoni (ledipasvir 90 mg/sofosbuvir 400 mg) for the treatment of hepatitis C infection genotype 1 in adults.

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