吉利德科學公司(Gilead Sciences,Inc., NASDAQ :GILD)是位於美國加利福尼亞州的一家1987年成立的獨立的生化公司。該 公司 所開發和銷售的藥物廣泛應用于病毒、真菌和細菌感染,公司擁有liposomal藥物專門對付技術,該技術的利用使藥物對患者更加安全、簡單和有效。美國國防部長拉姆斯菲爾德於1997至2001年間,為吉利德的 董事會 主席。 治疗慢性丙型肝炎的特效药物 Sovaldi是“吉利德”名副其实的印钞机,2014上半年的销售额达到了惊人的58亿美元。Sovaldi于2013年12月在美国上市,自诞生之日便成为行业关注的焦点,其84000美元/疗程(1000美元/片)的定价也饱受各方争议。美国众议院、患者维权组织等机构曾强烈呼吁Sovaldi降价,而“吉利德”则坚持不降,他们宣称从长远来看,该药将为纳税人节省大笔开支。 在美国,约有300-400万丙肝患者。在Sovaldi上市之前,丙肝的临床标准治疗需要每日服用多达12片药物,同时必须注射干扰素,该标准疗法的临床治愈率仅为75%左右,并可引起类似流感症状的严重副作用。而Sovaldi的副作用少,且治愈率高达80%-90%,因此一上市便迅速获得了临床医生的青睐。 但是,“ 吉利德”最近宣布,已经与多家仿 制药 商达成合作协议,生产丙肝明星药物Sovaldi的仿 制药 及另一种实验性药物,销往91个北非、中亚和东亚的发展中国家,然而,中国却并未被包含在内。 今年8月,“吉利德”接受《印度时报》采访时表示,将在印度以1%的价格销售Sovaldi,即900美元/疗程,折扣高达99%,遭到了美国评论家的强烈声讨。但吉利德表示,该定价是基于面对低收入国家的定价策略。“ 吉利德” 表示,协议所覆盖的国家中,丙肝患者总数超过1亿例,超过了全球丙肝患者总数的一半。此次与仿 制药 商达成的协议,对于吉利德在这些发展中国家人道主义项目的推进至关重要。 此次合作名单中有7家印度仿 制药 公司,其中包括迈兰(Mylan)、兰伯西(Ranbaxy)和Cadila保健公司。迈兰称,该笔交易将允许旗下子公司生产Sovaldi的仿 制药 ,并将帮助解决数以百万计患者的医疗需求。这些公司将向吉利德支付基于销售额的特许权使用费,同时吉利德将转让Sovaldi生产技术,以帮助其迅速开始生产。 此次合作的协议,还包括吉利德另一种丙肝复方药物,该药由Sovaldi和另一种抗病毒药物ledipasvir组成,目前该复方药正在接受FDA和欧洲药品管理局(EMA)的审查。 “ 吉利德”执行副总裁Gregg Alton在一份声明中称: 公司在谈判时,会根据一个国家的人均收入和丙型肝炎的发病率,分为有3种定价策略:低收入、中等收入和高收入。根据世界卫生组织(WHO),印度有1200万慢性丙型肝炎(HCV)患者;而根据世界银行,2009-2013年,印度的人均收入仅为1499美元,相比之下,美国的人均收入为53143美元。 尽管如此,看到“ 吉利德”对采取1%的巨大价格差异来销售Sovaldi,仍然让人感到有些不可思议。按说,即使采取10%-20%的价格差异销售仿制药品,也是对发展中国家相当不错的人道主义援助,而且可以减少本国民众以及其他国家的极大不满(难怪美国民众大为恼火,敢情印度人民才是吉利德的亲爹亲娘呐),难道美国人做事就是要如此独行特立?当然,也有业界认为“吉利德”此举,更多的或是出于对印度知识产权大环境的无奈之举。如果印度政府行使强制仿制许可权,吉利德不仅丧失了在印度的直接销售,甚至有失去Sovaldi专利的风险。 据说,根据世界贸易组织相关协议,成员国发生公共健康危机,如艾滋病、疟疾、肺结核和其他流行疾病时,可考虑实施药品专利强制许可,仿制生产仍在专利期限内的药物来解决公众危机。 巴西、南非、泰国等国就曾对治疗艾滋病等传染病的二线药物实施过强制许可。而在2012年3月,印度政府批出了有史以来的第一个抗癌药物的强制许可,允许本土制药商生产德国制药商拜耳(Bayer)公司抗癌药物Nexavar的仿制版药物,这一强制许可,允许印度的Natco制药将每月剂量以8800卢比(约160美元)的价格销售Nexavar仿制药,与拜耳公司的原药相比降价幅度达到97%。 这条强制许可的出现,使外国制药公司对新兴市场药物知识产权保护的缺乏产生了担忧,同时也改变了在新兴市场的销售策略以减少自身损失。因此,吉列德公司为了防止印度再次以强硬手段生产仿制药影响自身利益,特别允许印度等91国在协议范围内制造和销售仿制药。 而在中国,自2012年5月1日国家知识产权局更新《专利实施强制许可办法》施行至今,虽然中国民间对乙肝、艾滋病等相关治疗药物申请强制许可的呼声不断,但无一款药物获得国家批准。这是政府的保守还是政策的疲软? 附:Gilead Sciences Gilead Sciences NASDAQ : GILD is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes therapeutics. For many years since the company was founded, the company concentrated primarily on antiviral drugs to treat patients infected with HIV, hepatitis B or influenza. In 2006, Gilead acquired two companies that were developing drugs to treat patients with pulmonary diseases. The company has eleven commercially available products. Headquartered in Foster City, California, Gilead has operations in North America, Europe and Australia. As of Jan. 31, 2008, the company had 2,979 full-time employees. The company's name and logo refer to the Balm of Gilead. Gilead (a place mentioned in the Bible) was famed for its small trees that produced a resin (similar to frankincense and myrrh) used in medicine is considered to be the “first genuine pharmaceutical product.” The leaf in the logo symbolizes healing, life and growth, while the shield represents safety, strength and honor. Together they signify Gilead's efforts to use the healing power of science to create medicines that treat life-threatening diseases. Gilead is a member of the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index and the SP 500 . History Gilead Sciences was originally formed under the name of “Oligogen, Inc.” in August 1987 by Michael Riordan, a medical doctor who was 29 years old at the time. The name of the company was changed to Gilead Sciences in 1988. Riordan looked to Donald Rumsfeld as a mentor in the business world and to navigate the political waters. Under the technical leadership of scientist Mark Matteucci, the company focussed on discovery research, making small strands of DNA (oligomers) to assess the potential of genetic code blockers (gene therapy). Its development of small molecule antiviral therapeutics was ushered in by John Martin in 1992 with the licensing of nucleotide compounds discovered in two European academic labs. In 1990, Gilead entered into a collaborative research agreement with Glaxo for the research and development of genetic code blockers, also known as antisense. This collaboration was terminated in 1998, and Gilead's antisense intellectual property portfolio was sold to Isis Pharmaceuticals. Gilead debuted on the NASDAQ in January 1992. Its IPO raised $86.25 million in proceeds. In June 1996, Gilead launched its first commercial product, Vistide (cidofovir injection) for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in patients with AIDS. The company cooperated with Pharmacia Upjohn to market the product outside the U.S.A. In March 1999 Gilead acquired NeXstar Pharmaceuticals of Boulder, Colorado following two years of negotiations with the company. At the time, NeXstar's annual sales of $130 million was three times Gilead's sales. NeXstar's two revenue-generating drugs were AmBisome, an injectable fungal treatment, and DaunoXome, an oncology drug taken by HIV patients. Also in 1999, Roche announced first approval of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) for the treatment of influenza. Tamiflu was originally discovered by Gilead and licensed to Roche for late-phase development and marketing. Viread (tenofovir) achieved first approval in 2001 for the treatment of HIV. In January 2003 Gilead completed its acquisition of Triangle Pharmaceuticals. The company also announced its first full year of profitability. Later that year Hepsera (adefovir) was approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, and Emtriva (emtricitabine) for the treatment of HIV. In 2004 Gilead launched Truvada, a fixed-dose combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine. In January 1997, Donald Rumsfeld, a Board member since 1988, was appointed Chairman of the company. He stood down from the Board in January 2001 when appointed Secretary of Defense at the start of George W. Bush's first term as President. Federal disclosure forms indicate that Rumsfeld owns between USD $5 million and USD$25 million in Gilead stock. The rise in Gilead's share prices from USD$35 to USD$57 per share will have added between USD$2.5 million to USD$15.5 million to Rumsfeld's net worth. In November 2005, George W. Bush urged Congress to pass $7.1 billion in emergency funding to prepare for the possible bird flu pandemic, of which one billion is solely dedicated to the purchase, and distribution of Tamiflu. In July 2006, the U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Atripla, a once a day single tablet regimen for HIV, combining Sustiva (efavirenz), a Bristol-Myers Squibb product, and Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), a Gilead product. Gilead purchased Raylo Chemicals, Inc. in November 2006 for a price of $133.3 million. Raylo Chemical, based in Edmonton, Alberta, was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Degussa AG, a German company. Raylo Chemical was a custom manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients and advanced intermediates for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries .
2013年年底美国 FDA 批准了抗丙肝新药 Sovaldi(sofosbuvir) 片剂上市,接着今年一月欧盟也批准临床使用,这是世界上首个纯口服抗丙肝药物,是一种新型核苷类小分子药物,通过抑制丙肝病毒(HCV)的NS5B聚合酶而发挥抗病毒作用。 粗略估计目前全世界有1.5-1.7亿丙肝病毒携带者或患者,患病后约25%病人出现急性症状,更多的病人(75%)呈慢性过程,其中约1/4病人发展为肝硬化和/或肝癌,每年估计有35万余人死于与丙肝相关的肝脏疾病。丙肝的传统治疗是混合使用PEGα干扰素和抗病毒药利巴韦林(Ribavirin),这类药副作用大,疗效根据不同病型仅半数有效,面对医疗难题, 医学界可以说是以急不可待的心情关注着新型抗病毒药的研究和上市。 Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents and the Path to Interferon Independence. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013 Jul 18. 开发 Sovaldi 最初是一家 员工不足百人的 小型制药公司 Pharmasset ,由埃莫里大学( Emory University )的 Dr. RaymondSchinazi and Dr. Dennis Liotta 创建于 1998年 。当他们的抗丙肝病毒新药进入临床试验阶段并显现初效, 2011 年 11 月被吉利德( Gilead Sciences) 以高达 108 亿美元巨额收购。 吉利德 收购 Pharmasset 后全力以赴支持Sovaldi临床试验,先后开展了五项III期一系列临床试验,分别是FISSION、POSITRON、FUSION、NEUTRINO、PHOTON-1,结果表明 Sovaldi 对丙肝的治愈率可高达 90% ,对干扰素治疗产生耐药性而失败的丙肝病人亦同样有效,更可喜的是在临床试验中Sovaldi未发现严重不良反应,未出现因心脏副作用而不得不停药病例,它将竞争者开发的同类药物远远抛在后面, 实验结果先后在一些重量级杂志包括新英格兰医学,柳叶刀等上面发表。可以说Sovaldi还未出世就已先声夺人,早在Sovaldi临床II期试验报告出来时,《柳叶刀-传染病》就忍不住发文问:Sofosbuvir,是将丙肝封进棺材的最后钉子吗?(Sofosbuvir: the final nail in the coffin for hepatitis C? ) 由于 Sovaldi 治疗效果好和副作用少, FDA 对其优先审评一路绿灯使其以极短时间顺利面世。 新药 Sovaldi问世 给无数患丙型病毒性肝炎患者带来了希望,人们终于有了将丙肝这个恶魔送进棺材并死死封住的神奇长钉。立刻,医生们将治疗丙肝的一线药品从现在的PEGα干扰素和抗病毒药利巴韦林转向到Sovaldi,Sovaldi的处方急剧上升,然而问题来了:钉子有了,敲打钉子的锤子在哪里? 吉利德 在 Sovaldi 上花了不少银子,随着药品上市,他们必然想尽快捞回成本,定价贵的离谱。 Sovaldi 400 毫克一片, 每瓶含 28 片,售价 2.8 万美元,即每片 Sovaldi1000 美元。 病人每天一片 , 大多数患者需服用 3 瓶来完成整个疗程,费用高达 8.4 万美元。这个价格不仅我被吓住,周围老美同事随便一问,无人不惊呆。 有几个丙肝患者能付的起如此高价药?在美国医疗保险公司为此药设下严格关卡,各种民间政府药品补贴方案出台设法帮助患者以较低费用购得Sovaldi,但Sovaldi实在太昂贵,令患者个人叫苦不迭,保险公司费用水涨船高,政府补贴的医疗计划成本大大提高。最终这个天价药不仅损害病人和广大纳税人的利益,同时增加了雇主和个人缴付保险的费用。 吉利德左手拿着Sovaldi这个锐利钉子,右手高高举起锤子,锤子上的“天价”二字,阻碍恶魔丙肝不能快速全面被钉死,它仍在肆虐继续害人。 3月20日,南加州共和党众议员瓦克斯曼、新泽西民主党众议员帕隆和科罗拉多州共和党众议员迪杰特联合致信给吉利德执行长约翰·马丁,要求他拿出如此高价药物的根据。 这些议员们在赞誉Sovaldi治疗效果的同时指出,“我们担心患者无法支付如此昂贵的药物,这样的药物对患者无济于事。” 吉利德愿意放下锤子吗? 约翰·马丁回避了如此高价药物的核算根据,以打太极方式解释说:“Sovaldi是现有丙肝治疗药物的重大突破,它的显著疗效可避免患者因肝损害、肝癌和肝移植导致的长期医疗费用。” 话外音就是Sovaldi减少了肝硬化,肝癌和肝移植发病率,从另一方面减少了医疗费用。 吉利德还说,Sovaldi的定价取决于当地的人均收入,在英国,丙肝患者一个完整疗程价格为5.7万美元,德国为6.6万美元。中国呢?到目前为止我还未查到国内具体价格(有谁知道请补充),可能会比美国价格低些,但 可能依然 是天价, 是 无数丙肝患者望药兴叹, 是 无数家庭为此倾家荡产。 吉利德的高价引起美国医学和学术界不满,有人说 Gilead=Greed(吉利德=贪婪)。大家理解新药价格因为投入高价格较贵,但无法理解如此离谱天价。据说按照目前价格和丙肝病人庞大的基数,吉利德为Sovaldi投入的成本估计2-3年就可收回,既然如此,为何不能将药价降到一个合理范围?将丙肝盖棺的钉子有了,锤子还在吉利德手上不愿落下!这个争论尚刚刚开始,期望在重多压力下,合理制定价格,能让广大丙肝患者受益。从社会和经济影响来看,也许这更符合吉利德长远利益。 参考文献 1)Approval of Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) tablets for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/byaudience/forpatientadvocates/ucm377920.htm 2) Discovery of a β-d-2'-deoxy-2'-α-fluoro-2'-β-C-methyluridine nucleotide prodrug (PSI-7977) for the treatment of hepatitis C virus. J Med Chem. 2010 Oct 14;53(19):7202-18. 3) Sofosbuvir in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin for non-cirrhotic, treatment-naive patients with genotypes 1, 2, and 3 hepatitis C infection: a randomised, double-blind, phase 2 trial. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 13, Issue 5, May 2013, Pages 401-408 4) Sofosbuvir: the final nail in the coffin for hepatitis C? Lancet Infect Dis. 2013 May;13(5):378-9. 5)Sofosbuvir, a nucleotide polymerase inhibitor, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2013 Apr;22(4):527-36. 6)Sofosbuvir with pegylated interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin for treatment-naive patients with hepatitis C genotype-1 infection (ATOMIC): an open-label, randomised, multicentre phase 2 trial. Lancet. 2013 Jun 15;381(9883):2100-7. 7)Sofosbuvir for hepatitis C genotype 2 or 3 in patients without treatment options. N Engl J Med. 2013 May 16;368(20):1867-77. 8) Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents and the Path to Interferon Independence. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013 Jul 18.
刚刚写完“复方中药的尴尬”,就又看到《 生物谷 》(BIOON)2013年2月21日的短讯:19日,Gilead宣布sofosbuvir的第4个也是最后一个III期临床获得成功,这个被称为 FUSION 的三期研究评价了为期12周和16周的 sofosbuvir(之前名为GS-7977)+ 免疫增强剂利巴韦林(ribavirin)组合疗法,对于之前治疗失败的2型或3型丙型肝炎患者来说,治疗之后73%达到SVR。如果获批,sofosbuvir将成为用于丙型肝炎治疗的首个全口服组合治疗方案中的重要组成部分,并有望消除传统注射药物的需求 。 曾几何时,我们还在跟患者宣称“干扰素(后来进展为聚乙二醇干扰素)+ 利巴韦林”是丙型肝炎的唯一疗法,虽然副作用较大,但疗效不错。不想时过境迁,新的口服药横空出世为干扰素退出丙型肝炎一线治疗打下坚实基础。新药竞争的主要趋势是高效低毒,这是人类健康的必然选择,而且是不可动摇的选择。面对如此竞争激烈的新药开发市场,难道低水平重复的复方中药没有紧迫感,真的可以以不变应万变?难道不能从“辨证论治”的特色套路里走出来? 我看,还是“变亦变,不变亦变”,积极寻找应对策略和措施,不要继续在“复方药理学”的诠释中(不以疗效为首要目标)自鸣得意了。 附英文报道 Gilead Sciences (GILD) today announced topline results from the Phase 3 FUSION study evaluating 12- and 16-week courses of therapy with the once-daily nucleotide sofosbuvir plus ribavirin (RBV) in treatment-experienced patients with genotype 2 or 3 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who failed prior treatment. The study met its primary efficacy endpoint of superiority compared to a predefined historic control sustained virologic response (SVR) rate of 25 percent. In FUSION, 50 percent of patients (n=50/100) in the 12-week arm and 73 percent of patients (n=69/95) in the 16-week arm achieved SVR12 (p0.001 for both arms). "This study demonstrates that all-oral therapy with sofosbuvir provides significant efficacy among difficult-to-treat hepatitis C patients who could not be cured by prior regimens containing pegylated interferon and now have limited treatment options," said Norbert Bischofberger, PhD, Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer. "With positive results from all four Phase 3 trials now in hand, Gilead is on track to meet its goal of filing regulatory applications in the United States and Europe in the second quarter." In the FUSION study, HCV genotype 2 or 3 patients who failed prior interferon-based therapy were randomized (1:1) to receive either a 12-week (n=103) or 16-week (n=98) course of sofosbuvir 400 mg once daily plus RBV (1,000 or 1,200 mg/day). Sixty-three percent of patients were infected with genotype 3. In the 12-week arm, SVR12 rates were 86 percent among genotype 2 and 30 percent among genotype 3 patients. In the 16-week arm, SVR12 rates were 94 percent among genotype 2 and 62 percent among genotype 3 patients. Among the 34 percent of FUSION participants who had compensated cirrhosis at baseline, 31 percent achieved SVR12 in the 12-week arm, and 66 percent achieved SVR12 in the 16-week arm. All patients in the study became HCV negative on treatment, and relapse accounted for all virologic failures. No patients discontinued sofosbuvir or RBV due to adverse events. The most common adverse events reported in ≥15 percent of patients in the study were fatigue, headache, insomnia and nausea. Results from all four pivotal Phase 3 studies of sofosbuvir – FUSION, POSITRON, FISSION and NEUTRINO – will support the initial regulatory filing for sofosbuvir as part of all-oral therapy with RBV among genotype 2 and 3 treatment-na?ve, treatment-experienced and interferon-intolerant HCV patients, and for sofosbuvir in combination with RBV and pegylated interferon among treatment-na?ve patients with genotypes 1, 4, 5 and 6.
Provider: Quertle (www.quertle.info) Content: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 TY- NEWS TI- Merck scoots past Vertex in blockbuster race for hep C drug approval AU- Carroll, John PY- 2011 T2- Fierce Biotech UR- http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/merck-scoots-past-vertex-blockbuster-race-hep-c-drug-approval/2011-01-06 JF- Fierce Biotech N2- N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- High Efficacy of Preoperative Low-Dose Radiotherapy with Sanazole (AK-2123) for Extraskeletal Ewing's Sarcoma: A Case Report AU- Sakabe, Tomoya AU- Murata, Hiroaki AU- Konishi, Eiichi AU- Koto, Kazutaka AU- Horie, Naoyuki AU- Matsui, Takaaki AU- Sawai, Yasushi AU- Yamazaki, Hideya AU- Kagiya, Tsutomu V AU- Kubo, Toshikazu PY- 2011 T2- Sarcoma J2- Sarcoma UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943094/ VL- 2011 DO- 10.1155/2011/185465 C2- 2943094 N2- Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma is a rare soft tissue tumor that is morphologically indistinguishable from Ewing's sarcoma of bone. We report a case of extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma with several systemic problems. A 69-year-old man presented with a 5-month history of a rapidly enlarging mass in the right thigh. Because preoperative radiotherapy with sanazole (AK-2123) contributed the tumor mass reduction down to 40% in size, the tumor was successfully resected with clear surgical margins and repaired with a musculocutaneous flap. The high efficacy of pre-operative low-dose radiotherapy with sanazole was histologically confirmed that the resected tumor specimen involved no viable tumor cells and showed 100% necrosis. Based on clinical outcomes in this case, the combined modality of pre-operative low-dose radiotherapy with hypoxic cell radiosensitizer and adequate surgical resection might provide for the useful clinical application of extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma treatment. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Diagnosis and monitoring of chronic viral hepatitis: serologic and molecular markers. AU- Chakravarty, Runu PY- 2011 T2- Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition) J2- Front Biosci (Schol Ed) UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21196366 VL- 3 SP- 156-67 N2- Chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) virus infections are global health problems which may cause cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis D virus (HDV) though a satellite virus of HBV, can also cause chronic infection. Serologic and molecular tools are needed for the diagnosis, monitoring and therapeutic management of chronic viral hepatitis associated with HBV, HDV and HCV. In HBV infection several serological markers are available for diagnosis and staging; while molecular assays are important for pretreatment evaluation, assessing drug response and identification of mutants. The endpoint of chronic HCV and HDV treatment is the sustained virological response, defined by an undetectable HCV/HDV RNA in serum with a sensitive assay 6 months after completion of treatment. HCV genotype and quantitative HCV RNA testing plays an important role in determining treatment duration, doses and also assess the likelihood of treatment response. Thus, virological assays are important in the diagnosis and management of individuals infected with chronic viral hepatitis. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- The liver-specific microRNA miR-122: biology and therapeutic potential. AU- Filipowicz, Witold AU- Grosshans, Helge PY- 2011 T2- Progress in drug research. Fortschritte der Arzneimittelforschung. Progrs des recherches pharmaceutiques J2- Prog Drug Res UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21141732 VL- 67 SP- 221-38 N2- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate the expression of a large fraction of genes in animals, plants, and protozoa. miRNA-mediated gene repression occurs posttranscriptionally, generally by base-pairing to the 3'-untranslated regions of target mRNAs, which inhibits protein synthesis and destabilizes the mRNA. In this chapter, we discuss the biological functions of miR-122, a highly abundant, liver-specific miRNA. We will review how studies of miR-122 helped to establish important new paradigms of miRNA-mediated regulation, as well as identifying miR-122 as a factor implicated in important human diseases, including cancer and hepatitis C. We discuss antisense strategies targeting miR-122 as a potential therapeutic approach to treat hepatitis C and possibly other diseases. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Current therapies for chronic hepatitis C. AU- Ferguson, McKenzie C PY- 2011 T2- Pharmacotherapy J2- Pharmacotherapy UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21182362 VL- 31 IS- 1 SP- 92-111 N2- Abstract Hepatitis C virus affects more than 180 million people worldwide and as many as 4 million people in the United States. Given that most patients are asymptomatic until late in the disease progression, diagnostic screening and evaluation should be performed in patients who display high-risk behaviors associated with acquisition of hepatitis C. Chronic hepatitis C is associated with cirrhosis, hepatic failure, and death; therefore, treatment is aimed at reducing these complications, as well as improving quality of life and minimizing adverse effects. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Practice Guidelines on the Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment of Hepatitis C represent the gold standard for guidance on the management of hepatitis C. Standard treatment for hepatitis C is peginterferon alfa in combination with ribavirin. Currently, two pegylated interferon products are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of hepatitis C. The duration of therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin is dictated by viral genotype and virologic response. Additional therapies are under investigation for treatment of chronic hepatitis C and show early promise of comparative efficacy and fewer adverse effects. Special considerations in certain populations, including patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus, those with end-stage renal disease, injection drug users, pregnant women, and pediatric patients, should guide treatment decisions. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- MicroRNAs and Multiple Sclerosis AU- Tufekci, Kemal Ugur AU- Oner, Meryem Gulfem AU- Genc, Sermin AU- Genc, Kursad PY- 2011 T2- Autoimmune Diseases J2- Autoimmune Dis UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3003960/ VL- 2011 DO- 10.4061/2011/807426 C2- 3003960 N2- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently emerged as a new class of modulators of gene expression. miRNAs control protein synthesis by targeting mRNAs for translational repression or degradation at the posttranscriptional level. These noncoding RNAs are endogenous, single-stranded molecules approximately 22 nucleotides in length and have roles in multiple facets of immunity, from regulation of development of key cellular players to activation and function in immune responses. Recent studies have shown that dysregulation of miRNAs involved in immune responses leads to autoimmunity. Multiple sclerosis (MS) serves as an example of a chronic and organ-specific autoimmune disease in which miRNAs modulate immune responses in the peripheral immune compartment and the neuroinflammatory process in the brain. For MS, miRNAs have the potential to serve as modifying drugs. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of miRNA biogenesis and mode of action and the diverse roles of miRNAs in modulating the immune and inflammatory responses. We also review the role of miRNAs in autoimmunity, focusing on emerging data regarding miRNA expression patterns in MS. Finally, we discuss the potential of miRNAs as a disease marker and a novel therapeutic target in MS. Better understanding of the role of miRNAs in MS will improve our knowledge of the pathogenesis of this disease. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Factors associated with hepatitis C knowledge among a sample of treatment naive people who inject drugs. AU- Treloar, Carla AU- Hull, Peter AU- Bryant, Joanne AU- Hopwood, Max AU- Grebely, Jason AU- Lavis, Yvonna PY- 2010 T2- Drug and alcohol dependence J2- Drug Alcohol Depend UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21194852 N2- BACKGROUND: Assessment and uptake of treatment for hepatitis C among people who inject drugs (PWID) is low and strategies to enhance hepatitis C care in this group are needed. Knowledge of hepatitis C and its treatment is one precursor to decisions about treatment. METHODS: We conducted a cross-section study designed to evaluate treatment considerations in participants with self-reported hepatitis C infection in New South Wales, Australia. Participants were recruited from needle and syringe programs, opiate substitution clinics, pharmacies that dispensed opiate substitution treatment and from the mailing list of a community-based hepatitis C organisation and completed a self-administered survey. Knowledge of hepatitis C was assessed by a 48-item scale addressing the natural history and treatment of hepatitis C. Factors associated with knowledge were assessed by ordinal regression. RESULTS: Among the 997 participants recruited, 407 self-reported acquiring hepatitis C through injecting drug use and had never received hepatitis C treatment. Knowledge about hepatitis C was overall poor and the effects of the long term consequences of hepatitis C were over-estimated. Higher knowledge scores were associated with recruitment site, higher education levels and recent contact with a general practitioner. One-third of participants indicated that they did not intend to have treatment and one-fifth did not answer this question. CONCLUSION: Knowledge is a precursor to informed decisions about hepatitis C treatment. These results indicate that efforts to support those less engaged with hepatitis C care (and specifically those on opiate substitution treatment) and those with lower literacy are required. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- The natural history of acute hepatitis C: clinical presentation, laboratory findings and treatment outcomes. AU- Loomba, R AU- Rivera, M M AU- McBurney, R AU- Park, Y AU- Haynes-Williams, V AU- Rehermann, B AU- Alter, H J AU- Herrine, S K AU- Liang, T J AU- Hoofnagle, J H AU- Heller, T PY- 2010 T2- Alimentary pharmacology therapeutics J2- Aliment Pharmacol Ther UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21198704 N2- Background Acute hepatitis C has variable modes of presentation and frequently results in chronic infection. Its optimal management has yet to be defined. Aim To establish natural history and complications of treatment of acute hepatitis C. Methods Data from all patients presenting with acute hepatitis C to the National Institutes of Health between 1994 and 2007 were reviewed. Results Twenty-five patients were identified. Symptoms were reported by 80% and jaundice by 40%. Aminotransferase levels and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels fluctuated greatly; 18% of patients were intermittently negative for HCV RNA. Five patients recovered spontaneously whereas 20 developed chronicity or received interferon-based therapy during the acute phase. Among 15 patients treated during the acute phase with peginterferon with or without ribavirin for 24weeks, all became HCV RNA negative within 4-8weeks, and all except two (HIV-positive) achieved a sustained virological response. Side effects (particularly psychiatric) were common and limited treatment in 30%. Conclusions Among 25 patients with acute HCV infection, fluctuating illness was common and spontaneous recovery occurred in only 20%. Anti-viral treatment with a 24-week course of peginterferon and ribavirin was highly effective, but marked by frequent and severe side effects. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Scaling up the national methadone maintenance treatment program in China: achievements and challenges AU- Yin, Wenyuan AU- Hao, Yang AU- Sun, Xinhua AU- Gong, Xiuli AU- Li, Fang AU- Li, Jianhua AU- Rou, Keming AU- Sullivan, Sheena G AU- Wang, Changhe AU- Cao, Xiaobin AU- Luo, Wei AU- Wu, Zunyou PY- 2010 T2- International Journal of Epidemiology J2- Int J Epidemiol UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2992615/ VL- 39 IS- suppl_2 SP- ii29-ii37 DO- 10.1093/ije/dyq210 C2- 2992615 N2- Chinas methadone maintenance treatment program was initiated in 2004 as a small pilot project in just eight sites. It has since expanded into a nationwide program encompassing more than 680 clinics covering 27 provinces and serving some 242 000 heroin users by the end of 2009. The agencies that were tasked with the programs expansion have been confronted with many challenges, including high drop-out rates, poor cooperation between local governing authorities and poor service quality at the counter. In spite of these difficulties, ongoing evaluation has suggested reductions in heroin use, risky injection practices and, importantly, criminal behaviours among clients, which has thus provided the impetus for further expansion. Clinic services have been extended to offer clients a range of ancillary services, including HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C testing, information, education and communication, psychosocial support services and referrals for treatment of HIV, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases. Cooperation between health and public security officials has improved through regular meetings and dialogue. However, institutional capacity building is still needed to deliver sustainable and standardized services that will ultimately improve retention rates. This article documents the steps China made in overcoming the many barriers to success of its methadone program. These lessons might be useful for other countries in the region that are scaling-up their methadone programs. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Current antiviral combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients who failed to interferon alfa-based treatment. AU- Trapero-Marugn, M AU- Mendoza, J AU- Moreno Monteagudo, J A AU- Chaparro, M AU- Garca-Buey, L AU- Gonzlez-Moreno, L AU- Borque, M J AU- Moreno-Otero, R PY- 2010 T2- Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics J2- J Clin Pharm Ther UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21175705 N2- What is known and Objective: Interferon-alfa-based therapy is effective in the treatment of Hepatitis C. However, some patients fail to respond and others relapse, after initially responding. Our objective was to assess the efficacy, safety and predictive factors for sustained virological response (SVR) to peginterferon plus ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C patients who failed to interferon-alfa (IFN)-based therapy. Methods: Seventy-five consecutive patients who failed to IFN -based therapy were retreated with peginterferon plus ribavirin. Of these patients, 85% were infected by genotype 1. The primary endpoint was SVR. Results and Discussion: Of 75 non-responder (n=54) or relapser patients (n=21), 50 were previously treated with IFN -monotherapy and 25 with IFN plus ribavirin. Global SVR rate was 413%: for patients re-treated with IFN the response was 48% whilst for those retreated with IFN plus ribavirin, it was 28%. For previous non-responders the SVR rate was 37% and for relapsers it was 524%. What is new and Conclusion: Retreatment with peginterferon plus ribavirin is an effective option for some chronic hepatitis C non-responder or relapser patients. Higher SVR rate was achieved in relapsers and in those patients who received IFN monotherapy previously. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Incidence and Severity of Acute Allograft Rejection in Liver Transplant Recipients Treated With Alfa lnterferon AU- Jain, A AU- Demetris, A J AU- Manez, R AU- Tsamanadas, A C AU- Van Thiel, D AU- Rakela, J AU- Starzl, T E AU- Fung, J J PY- 2010 T2- Liver transplantation and surgery : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society J2- Liver Transpl Surg UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3005707/ VL- 4 IS- 3 SP- 197-203 C2- 3005707 N2- Interferon alfa-2b (IFN-) therapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of viral hepatitis B (HBV) or viral hepatitis C (HCV) in patients who did not undergo transplantation. However, in allograft recipients, treatment with IFN- often leads to allograft rejection. The aim of the present study was to determine if IFN- therapy increases the incidence or severity of acute rejection in human liver allograft recipients. One hundred five orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) recipients with HBV (n = 32), HCV (n = 58), or Non A Non B Non C (n = 15) viral infections were treated with a 6-month course of IFN-, 5 million U subcutaneously three times a week, which began 2 to 97 months after transplantation. The mean hepatitis activity index (HAI) at the beginning of the therapy was 10.1 3.0. The baseline immunosuppression was achieved by tacrolimus in 77 patients and by cyclosporine A (CyA) in 28 patients. Contemporaneous controls consisted of 132 OLT patients (100 who received tacrolimus and 32 who received CyA) who did not receive IFN-. A retrospective analysis was performed on this group of patients. The incidence of rejection and the baseline immunosuppression were compared. All biopsies were reviewed without knowledge of clinical data and scored for HAI and for rejection activity index (RAI). The biochemical response to IFN- was also examined. The mean baseline maintenance dose of prednisone was greater by 2 mg daily in patients who received IFN- with tacrolimus compared with control patients who did not receive IFN- with tacrolimus (IFN- 5.3 5.2 mg daily v controls 3.3 4.9 mg daily; P .05). Similarly, the mean maintenance dose of prednisone was greater by 2.5 mg daily in patients who received IFN- compared with controls who received CyA-based immunosuppression (IFN- 9.8 3.1 mg daily v controls 7.3 3.3 mg daily; P = .01). Acute rejection episodes were detected in 10.5% (n = 11) of IFN-treated patients compared with 8.8% of controls for the similar time period from OLT and period of exposure to risk of rejection. Mean RAI was 2.0 2.4 for the IFN-treated group and 2.1 1.7 for controls. Rejection episodes with IFN- treatment were mild and responded to steroid therapy. In OLT recipients, the risk of acute rejection was not increased by the introduction of IFN-. However, in this study, patients were exposed to greater levels of immunosuppression. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Augmentation of DHCR24 expression by hepatitis C virus infection facilitates viral replication in hepatocytes. AU- Takano, Takashi AU- Tsukiyama-Kohara, Kyoko AU- Hayashi, Masahiro AU- Hirata, Yuichi AU- Satoh, Masaaki AU - Tokunaga, Yuko AU- Tateno, Chise AU- Hayashi, Yukiko AU- Hishima, Tsunekazu AU- Funata, Nobuaki AU- Sudo, Masayuki AU- Kohara, Michinori PY- 2010 T2- Journal of hepatology J2- J Hepatol UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21184787 N2- BACKGROUND AIMS: The role of 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR24) in hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) was characterized, because DHCR24 is a cholesterol biosynthetic enzyme and cholesterol is a major component of lipid rafts, which is reported to play an important role in HCV replication. Therefore, we examined the potential of DHCR24 as a target for novel HCV therapeutic agents. METHODS: We examined DHCR24 expression in human hepatocytes in both the livers of HCV-infected patients and those of chimeric mice with human hepatocytes. We targeted DHCR24 with siRNA and U18666A which is an inhibitor of both DHCR24 and cholesterol synthesis. We measured the level of HCV replication in these HCV replicon cell lines and HCV infected cells. U18666A was administrated into chimeric mice with humanized liver, and anti-viral effects were assessed. RESULTS: Expression of DHCR24 was induced by HCV infection in human hepatocytes in vitro, and in human hepatocytes of chimeric mouse liver. Silencing of DHCR24 by siRNA decreased HCV replication in replicon cell lines and HCV JFH-1 strain-infected cells. Treatment with U18666A, suppressed HCV replication in the replicon cell lines. Moreover, to evaluate the anti-viral effect of U18666A in vivo, we administrated U18666A with or without pegylated interferon to chimeric mice and observed an inhibitory effect of U18666A on HCV infection and a synergistic effect with interferon. CONCLUSIONS: DHCR24 is an essential host factor which is augmented its expression by HCV infection, and plays a significant role in HCV replication. DHCR24 may serve as a novel anti-HCV drug target. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Interferon-gamma (+874) T/A genotypes and risk of IFN-alpha-induced depression. AU- Oxenkrug, G AU- Perianayagam, M AU- Mikolich, D AU- Requintina, P AU- Shick, L AU- Ruthazer, R AU- Zucker, D AU- Summergrad, P PY- 2010 T2- Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) J2- J Neural Transm UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21161299 N2- Depression is a frequent side effect of interferon (IFN)-alpha therapy of hepatitis C (HCV) and is of great relevance with regard to adherence, compliance, and premature therapy discontinuation. There are no reliable tests to identify patients-at-risk for the development of IFN-alpha induced depression. We retrospectively studied distribution of IFN-gamma (IFNG) (+874) T/A genotypes in 170 Caucasian HCV patients treated by IFN-alpha. Distribution of IFNG (+874) genotypes was different between depressed and not depressed subjects with more TA and less AA carriers among depressed than among not depressed subjects (P=0.003). Carriers with at least one T allele were more frequent among depressed than among not depressed patients (P=0.003). Our results suggest that presence of high producer (T) alleles might be a genetic risk factor for the development of IFN-alpha-induced depression. Assessment of IFNG (+874) genotypes might help to identify patients-at-risk for IFN-alpha-induced depression. IFNG and IFN-alpha transcriptionally induce indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), the rate-limiting enzyme of the kynurenine (KYN) pathway of tryptophan (TRY) metabolism. IFN-induced up-regulation of IDO triggers depression by shifting TRY metabolism from formation of serotonin to production of neuroactive kynurenines. TRY-KYN pathway might be a new target for pharmacological prevention and treatment of IFN-alpha-induced psychiatric complications. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER- TY- JOUR TI- Overview of the PROVE studies evaluating the use of telaprevir in chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 patients. AU- Burney, Tabinda AU- Dusheiko, Geoffrey PY- 2010 T2- Expert review of anti-infective therapy J2- Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther UR- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21143041 N2- Current treatment for genotype 1 HCV infection with pegylated interferon (PEG IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) is effective in less than 50% of patients. The advent of direct-acting antiviral agents that target replication of HCV promises to improve therapy for the disease. Telaprevir is a new peptidomimetic serine protease inhibitor that specifically targets the NS3/4a HCV serine protease to cause rapid reduction in HCV RNA levels. Three Phase II Protease Inhibition for Viral Evaluation (PROVE) studies have assessed the efficacy and safety of telaprevir in genotype 1 patients. The studies examined sustained virological response (SVR) rates and also the adverse events related to the use of this drug in different groups. The results of these studies suggested that the addition of this specific protease inhibitor to PEG IFN alfa-2a and RBV can significantly improve the results of treatment in patients affected with chronic HCV infection with genotype 1, when compared with the standard treatment, PEG IFN alfa-2a and RBV alone. The key observations in these Phase II trials of telaprevir were higher rate of SVR above current standard of care (61-69% for T12PR24 treatment-naive patients compared with 46-48% for standard of care in naive patients). Low rates of relapse were observed in T12PR24-treated patients (2-14% vs 22-23%). The studies suggest that the duration of treatment could be reduced for rapidly responsive naive patients from 48 to 24 weeks while maintaining improved SVR rates. RBV remains an essential component of treatment with protease inhibitors combined with PEG IFN. The main adverse reactions of note with its use were rashes, anemia and nausea. N1- Exported from www.Quertle.info. Search query: Hepatitis C treatment . ER-