Hepatitis News:

February 2006

Vertex Takes The Lead In Hepatitis C Race
"Credit Suisse First Boston raised the price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals after the drug discovery company reported fourth-quarter results and announced solid clinical data for VX-950, an experimental hepatitis C treatment. The analyst lifted the price target on the "outperform"-rated stock to $44 from $35."

Study of Hepatitis C Virus Solves Mystery That Has Stymied Quest for Cure
". Now, in a landmark study by Florida State University biologists that could bolster the development of anti-viral therapies for HCV -- as well as for related RNA viruses such as West Nile and influenza -- Assistant Professor Hengli Tang and doctoral student/co-author Heather B. Nelson have discovered the molecular mechanism that inhibits HCV replication in vitro after its host cells become crowded and stopped dividing."

ViRexx Presents Hepatitis C Chimigen'TM' Technology at Baculovirus & Insect Cell Culture Annual Meeting
"ViRexx Medical Corp. a company focused on immunotherapy treatments for certain cancers, chronic hepatitis B & C and embolotherapy treatments for tumors, today announced that Rajan George, Ph.D., Vice President Research and Development of ViRexx, made a presentation about the Company's Chimigen(TM) technology for hepatitis C at the 9th Annual Meeting of the Baculovirus & Insect Cell Culture held on February 20-22, 2006 in San Francisco."

Hepatitis C Could Infect 800,000 Australians By 2020
"It has been proposed by the federal Government to distribute subsidized life-saving hepatitis C drugs, that would benefit nearly 200,000 hepatitis C infected patients in Australia. A small percentage of the infected individuals (2000) currently receive treatment for their condition. If appropriate steps are not instituted at the earliest, Australia might soon witness a rapid rise in the cases of liver cirrhosis and cancer."

Suit Says Bone Marrow Caused Her Hepatitis C: A Northeast Philadelphia Woman Says Tissue She Got from a Biomedical Firm Gave Her the Disease
"In 2003, 42-year-old Darlene Krzywicki was in tremendous pain, often having to crawl to get around. After exhausting every other method to relieve her of her back pain, the Northeast Philadelphia resident underwent lumbar spine surgery in January 2004 at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook, Montgomery County."

Peregrine Pharmaceutical Will Deliver Hepatitis C Phase I Safety Data at 2nd Annual Viral and Hepatitis Drug and Development Conference
"Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, clinical stage product candidates for viral diseases and cancer, today announced that it has completed planned patient enrollment and dosing in its initial Phase l clinical trial for Tarvacin(TM) Anti-Viral in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV)."

Cases of Hepatitis-C on the Rise in Nangarhar
"According to doctors number of the Hepatitis-C cases have shown twofold increase in the eastern Nangarhar province as compared with the last year."

Researchers Develop New Vaccine Candidate Against Hepatitis C
"Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) say they have developed a vaccine candidate for hepatitis C."

Boca's Nabi Gets "Fast Track" for Hepatitis C Drug
"Boca Raton-based Nabi Pharmaceuticals has received approval to move its new Civacir product candidate into a 'fast track' status."

Prison Hepatitis C Infections a Time Bomb for All
"There's a hidden danger lurking in Australia's prisons waiting for the chance to break out - and we're not talking about unreformed prisoners. The hepatitis C virus is incubating in our prisons at alarming rates, and poses a major health risk to all of us."

New Hope for Hepatitis C Patients
"Hope may be at hand for the large and growing group of difficult to treat Hepatitis C patients who could not initially be cured, said speakers at the fifth International Congress of the African - Middle East Association of Gastroenterology (AMAGE), held in Sharjah."

Inovio to Develop Vaccine for Hepatitis C Virus
"Inovio Biomedical Corp., a biotechnology company, has signed an agreement with Sweden-based Tripep AB to develop a therapeutic vaccine for hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C virus is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide."

Waffle House to Pay Ex-Cook $50K; Lawsuit said Jackson Restaurant Fired Employee because of Hepatitis C
"Waffle House owners have agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit stemming from the 2004 firing of a cook at a Jackson location. The restaurant was accused of unlawful employment policies and practices, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it fired the unnamed cook."