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53rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC 2013)

September 10-13, 2013, Denver

EASL 2015: Using Interferon with Hepatitis B Antivirals Raises Likelihood of HBsAg Loss

Treating chronic hepatitis B with tenofovir plus pegylated interferon for 48 weeks resulted in a higher rate of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance than either drug taken alone, though the response rate was still just 9%, according to a study presented at the recent European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress in Vienna. Other researchers reported that adding 48 weeks of interferon to nucleoside/nucleotide therapy increased the rate of HBsAg loss to about the same level, and switching to interferon may be effective for selected patients.

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EASL 2015: Expanded Vaccination and Treatment Could Help Eliminate Hepatitis B Worldwide

While universal infant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination has already led to major advances in reducing new infections in some settings, further expansion of prevention and treatment are needed to significantly reduce HBV transmission and liver disease mortality, according to an analysis presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress this week in Vienna.

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EASL 2015: Prenylation Inhibitor Lonafarnib Lowers Hepatitis Delta Viral Load During Therapy

Lonafarnib, a farnesyl transferase inhibitor that interferes with viral assembly, reduced hepatitis delta virus (HDV) levels by more than 3 log in a Phase 2 study presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress last month in Vienna. Combining lonafarnib with pegylated interferon for 8 weeks led to significantly greater HDV RNA declines than lonafarnib alone, but boosting with ritonavir achieved an even greater effect with an all-oral regimen. HDV viral load rose again after stopping therapy, however, and researchers are now evaluating longer treatment durations.

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EASL 2015: Nucleic Acid Polymer REP 2139-Ca Shows Promise Against Hepatitis B and Delta Viruses

The nucleic acid-based polymer REP 2139-Ca lowered hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels and significantly reduced hepatitis B and hepatitis delta viral loads when combined with immunotherapy, according to presentations at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress last month in Vienna.

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EASL 2015: Hepatitis C Treatment May Be Highly Cost-effective for Prisoners in England

Reducing the duration of direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C will make treatment for prisoners in England highly cost-effective, and could provide an important opportunity for providing access to hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs, Natasha Martin from the University of California San Diego reported at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress last month in Vienna.

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