Top 10 Hepatitis Articles of 2018
Here are the top articles from our hepatitis coverage of the year.
Here are the top articles from our hepatitis coverage of the year.
10. Insurers Continue to Deny Coverage for Life-Saving Hepatitis C Drugs at High Rates
More than half of patients with hepatitis C are denied coverage by private insurers for life-saving treatments, while the number of patients denied coverage from public insurance also remains high.
9. Study Demonstrates High Stability of Hepatitis B Virus
Hepatitis B virus can remain highly infectious for several weeks at room temperature and can even maintain stability in temperatures of 4 degrees Celsius over a 9-month period.
8. Injection Drug Users Can Benefit from a Partially Effective Hepatitis C Vaccine
A hepatitis C virus vaccine could dramatically reduce the transmission of the virus among injection drug users, even without achieving sterilizing immunity.
7. FDA Updates Hepatitis C Drug Labeling to Include New Clinical Data
The FDA approved labeling revisions for hepatitis C virus treatment glecaprevir and pibrentasvir (Mavyret) to include updates to dosing recommendations, as well as safety and efficacy outcomes data from 2 clinical studies.
6. Global Treatment Coverage of Hepatitis B Lagging
Improved access to effective hepatitis B virus medications is needed to scale up treatment coverage among individuals with the virus, particularly in countries with a high disease burden.
5. New Trial to Evaluate Investigational Hepatitis C Vaccine
In an effort to develop the first successful hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine, Inovio Pharmaceuticals and its Korean partner GeneOne Life Science announced they have dosed the first patient in a phase 1 study evaluating an investigational vaccine against HCV infection.
4. Potential Hepatitis B Therapy Reduces Virus Surface Antigen in Clinical Trial
A potentially curative therapy for hepatitis B virus showed positive results in an early-phase clinical trial.
3. Combo Treatment Effectively Cures Hepatitis C in Liver Transplant Recipients
Researchers evaluated the safety and efficacy of treatment with sofosbuvir and velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) in adults with recurrent chronic genotype 1-4 HCV infection after liver transplant.
2. FDA Grants Fast Track Designation to Hepatitis B Drug
The FDA granted Fast Track designation this year to Assembly Biosciences, Inc’s novel treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. The drug, ABI-H0731, is the manufacturer’s lead oral HBV core inhibitor.
1. Study: Shortening Hepatitis C Treatment Feasible in Half of Patients
New research suggests that hepatitis C virus treatments can be shortened in half of patients receiving them without compromising efficacy, potentially leading to significant cost savings.
