Liver Disease Information

Richie Hayward, co-founder of Little Feat, dies

2010-08-13T10:30:10Z

Richie Hayward, co-founder of band Little Feat, dies of liver cancer

Little Feat co-founder Richie Hayward has died. He was 64. Band publicist Bridget Nolan says the drummer had been suffering from liver cancer and died Thursday at a ho...

Vertex: telaprevir could shorten hep C treatment

2010-08-25T14:56:23Z

Vertex says patients who responded quickly to hepatitis C drug can finish treatment sooner

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday that a study showed some patients who take its hepatitis C drug candidate telaprevir may be able to complete their treatment sooner. Vertex said patients who responded quickly to treatment with telaprevir had better results after 24 weeks of therapy ...

APNewsBreak: 4 positive tests of St. Louis vets

2010-07-30T08:00:11Z

APNewsBreak: 4 positive tests of vets treated at St. Louis, but illness sources undetermined

Four veterans treated at the St. Louis VA Medical Center's dental clinic have tested positive for hepatitis, but further testing is needed to determine if inadequately sterilized dental equipment is to blame. The Veterans Admin...

LASVEGASSUN.COM

2010-06-08T02:15:31Z

THE BEST OF OUR EXCLUSIVE STORIES, PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA — EVERY DAY.

10 minutes courtside

Visit lasvegassun.com/rebels to read UNLV beat writer Ryan GreeneÕs weekly installment of Ò10 minutes with ...Ó This week, he chats with Rebels junior forward Chace Stanback.

Doctor indicted...

Australian police probe hepatitis cluster at abortion clinic

2010-05-31T12:16:03Z

Australian police were Monday investigating whether women treated at an abortion clinic were deliberately infected with hepatitis C, as the number of cases linked to the centre rose to 22. Police said they were probing how patients at the Melbourne medical centre, which performs late-term abortions, contracted the disease, which is transmitted via blood and can develop into cirrhosis and liver cancer. "Detectives are working to discover w...

FDA puts liver damage warning on weight loss pill

2010-05-26T10:45:38Z

FDA warns weight loss drug may cause liver damage in rare cases

Federal health officials are warning consumers that the weight loss pill alli may cause severe liver damage in rare cases. The Food and Drug Administration says it has added a warning about the risk to the label of the drug, which is sold over-the-counter by Reuters) - A closely watched experimental hepatitis C treatment being developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc led to a 75 percent cure rate in a pivotal late-stage trial of previously untreated patients, the company said on Tuesday. The results from the first Phase III study of telaprevir were roughly in line with expectations. ...

Sex hormone explains higher liver cancer risk in men

2010-05-19T20:00:19Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Male sex hormones may explain why men who suffer from the hepatitis B liver disease are more likely to develop liver cancer than women, researchers in Taiwan have found. In a paper published in Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday, the researchers said hepatitis B viruses attach themselves to receptors of the male sex hormone androgen before going on ...

Teva, Baxter ordered to pay $500 million in Hep C case

2010-05-07T17:15:36Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Baxter Healthcare Services on Friday were ordered to pay a combined $500 million in punitive damages to a Nevada man who contracted Hepatiti...

Bollywood star Bachchan says has cirrhosis

2010-04-26T12:00:32Z

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Amitabh Bachchan, one of India's top actors, whose disciplined, teetotaling life is somewhat rare in Bollywood, has said his liver has been partially destroyed by cirrhosis, requiring constant medical attent...

India's Bachchan reveals serious liver condition

2010-04-25T15:15:46Z

Veteran Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday sought to reassure fans about his health after revealing he was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and needed regular medical check-ups. Bachchan, a 67-year-old teetotaller, said 25 percent of his liver had been destroyed by the condition, which he said was the long-term result of a blood transfusion after an accident ...

Pfizer ends trial of Sutent in liver cancer

2010-08-25T14:38:03Z

Pfizer says Sutent was not working better than Bayer's Nexavar as a treatment for liver cancer

Pfizer Inc. said Thursday it stopped a late-stage clinical study of its drug Sutent as a treatment for liver cancer. Pfizer said patients who were treated with Sutent were not surviving as long as patients who were treated with a...

Down and Dirty

2010-04-15T21:15:24Z

Whenever I use the bathroom at work, I put down one of those paper seats on top of the bowl. Is this actually protecting me from anything or is it just there for mental comforts? And what kinds of diseases or sickness can you actually catch from a toilet seat? — J. Kahn, Queens, New York I actually researched this question in 2004 when I had to use a portable toilet at a microbrew festival in BEIJING (Reuters) - Imprisoned Chinese AIDS activist Hu Jia is suffering from a serious disease, possibly liver cancer, his wife said on Thursday after making a formal appeal to security forces to release him on medical parole. Hu's mother saw a suspected diagnosis of liver cancer on a consent form she was asked to sign when he was ta...

Curry ingredient shows promise against liver damage

2010-03-23T20:00:36Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A compound found in the common curry spice turmeric appears to delay the liver damage that eventually causes cirrhosis, scientists said on Wednesday. In a study published in Gut, a British Medical Journal title, Austrian scientists found that feeding the compound curcumin to mice reduced the types of inflammation that can c...

New research finds promising treatment for hepatitis C

2010-04-16T07:28:51Z

US scientists have discovered a way to block replication of the hepatitis C virus, potentially leading to better treatment for the top cause of liver cancer in the United States, a study said Wednesday. In vitro experiments identified a protein that is essential to the reproductive cycle of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), the researchers said. An altered synthetic version of the protein was found to destroy the virus' ability to repl...

Team finds potential path for hepatitis C drugs

2010-04-16T07:28:58Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. scientists have identified a new class of drugs that appear to block the hepatitis C virus from replicating in laboratory experiments, researchers said on Wednesday. The team discovered activity within a key protein of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) essential for the virus to reproduce, they reported in the online journal Science Translational Medicine. The researchers also identified small molecul...

Correction: Vertex Hepatitis C Drug

2010-04-16T07:40:03Z

Correction: Vertex Hepatitis C Drug

In a story Jan. 11 about Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its hepatitis C drug, The Associated Press misstated when the company will seek regulatory approval for the drug. Approval will be requested in the second half of 2010, not 2009.

Correction: Vertex Hepatis C Drug

Vertex Pharmaceuticals to seek regulatory OK for telaprevir hepatitis drug in 2nd half of 2010

Biotechnology company Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday it plans to seek regulatory approval of the experimental hepatitis C drug telaprevir as scheduled during the second half of 2009. Telaprevir is one of several potential hepatitis C treatments in development. If approved, it c...

Achillion shares rise on hepatitis C drug data

2010-04-16T08:21:03Z

Achillion Pharmaceuticals shares rise on positive early-stage hepatitis C drug data

Shares of Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc. surged Wednesday after the company said its hepatitis C drug candidate showed positive "proof-of-concept" results, while meeting safety and tolerability goals in an early-stage study. The stock gained $1.12, or 52 percent, to $3.27 in afternoon tradin...

Georgia congressman has hepatitis C

2010-04-16T08:35:55Z

Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia has hepatitic C, says treatment going well

Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., has revealed that he has hepatitis C, a serious liver disease that can lead to fatal complications such as cancer or liver failure. In recent months, the 55-year-old Johnson has appeared thin and frail. The two-term Atlanta

Researchers develop new hepatitis C treatment

2010-04-16T08:42:02Z

An experimental treatment targeting hepatitis C was able to inhibit replication of the virus in the bloodstream of chimpanzees and could treat chronic infections in humans, a new study said Thursday. The treatment works by inhibiting a molecule that helps hepatitis C virus replicate, according to scientists at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR), who said the drug conti...

Pharmasset: hepatitis C drug trial will continue

2010-08-25T14:10:41Z

Pharmasset says Roche will continue enrolling subjects in RG7128 trial after committee review

Pharmasset Inc. said Monday that it will continue enrolling patients in a clinical trial of RG7128, a drug that is designed to treat the liver disease hepatitis C. An independent committee reviewed data from the first 100 subjects enrolled in the midstage study, which compares a combination of RG7128 and standa...

Vertex drug helps hepatitis C patients

2010-04-16T09:35:01Z

Vertex says most patients on telaprevir for hepatitis C had undetectable virus levels in trial

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Wednesday its hepatitis C treatment telaprevir created an immune system response to the virus in patients who had not been helped by other drugs. The results came from a midstage trial of the experimental drug. Vertex said a majority of patients who had ...

Coffee may slow liver damage from hepatitis

2010-04-16T09:37:54Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A few cups of coffee everyday may help slow the progression of liver disease associated with long-term infection with the hepatitis C virus, a new study hints. Researchers found that among 766 patients with hepatitis C-related liver damage, those who drank three or more cups of coffee per day were 53 percent less likely than non-drinkers to see their liver disease progress over four years. The f...

A few coffees a day keep liver disease at bay: study

2010-04-16T09:42:57Z

Researchers in the United States have found another good reason to go to the local espresso bar: several cups of coffee a day could halt the progression of liver disease, a study showed Wednesday. Sufferers of chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drank three or more cups of coffee per day slashed their risk of the disease progressing by 53 percent compared to patients who drank no coffee, the study led by Colorado surgery technician pleads guilty in hepatitis C cases, will get 20 years in prison

A surgery technician who infected at least 16 hospital patients with hepatitis C and may have exposed thousands more pleaded guilty to some charges Friday in an agreement that includes a 20-year prison term. Kristen Diane Parker, 26, had pleaded not guilty to the 42-count indictment but in the plea agreement Friday ack...

UK's NICE again rejects Bayer liver cancer drug

2010-04-16T10:26:10Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's healthcare cost-effectiveness watchdog has again rejected Bayer's drug Nexavar for treating liver cancer on the state health service, despite a revised charging scheme from the company. Wednesday's decision is a setback for Bayer and its partn...

U.S. probes Roche, Glaxo diet drug over liver injury

2010-04-16T10:40:21Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials are reviewing reports of liver injury in people who took Roche Holding AG's weight loss drug Xenical or the over-the-counter version sold by GlaxoSmithKline. The FDA probes liver damage with alli, only nonprescription weight loss drug approved in US

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of liver damage in patients taking alli, the only nonprescription weight loss drug approved by the agency. Regulators said Monday they have received more than 30 reports of liver damage in patients taking alli and

Anadys says hepatitis C drug shows potential

2010-08-25T14:14:48Z

Anadys Pharmaceuticals says hepatitis C drug candidate shows potential in early study

Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday its hepatitis C drug candidate ANA-773 could be extremely effective at treating the diseases. The statement is based on early-stage study data, which is only typically good for studying safety. But, the company said early-stage, or Phase I, data showed th...

Surgery tech pleads not guilty in hepatitis case

2010-04-16T10:57:24Z

Colo. surgery tech linked to hepatitis cases pleads not guilty to painkiller tampering charges

A surgery technician accused of swapping her dirty syringes for ones filled with powerful painkillers meant for patients, possibly exposing thousands of people to hepatitis C, pleaded not guilty to federal charges Thursday. Prosecutors claim Kristen Diane Parker, 26, is linked to at least 19 cases of...

Anadys rockets after FDA approves trial design

2010-08-25T14:15:17Z

Anadys Pharma says FDA approved mid stage study design for ANA598, and shares advance

Shares of Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc. climbed Friday after the company said regulators approved the design of a study of a potential hepatitis C treatment. In morning trading, Anadys stock jumped $1.32, or 73...

Anadys gets FDA OK to start hepatitis C study

2010-04-16T11:04:32Z

Anadys Pharmaceuticals gets FDA clearance to begin study on hepatitis C therapy

Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Thursday the Food and Drug Administration cleared the company's plan for a midstage study on a potential combination therapy for hepatitis C. The combination includes the drug candi...

Both hepatitis C drugs work about the same: study

2010-04-16T11:12:17Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two standard treatments for hepatitis C work equally well at knocking down the virus for most patients, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. The findings, from a 3,000-patient comparative effectiveness study, are meant to help guide doctors' decisions about which treatments work best -- an idea at the center of Present Another hepatitis case linked to Colorado hospital where surgery tech worked; total now 11

Another hepatitis C case has been linked to a Denver hospital where an infected surgery technician is accused of swapping her dirty syringes for ones filled with a powerful painkiller meant for patients. Colorado health officials said Friday that 11 cases are now linked to NY hospital warns of possible hepatitis exposure from tech charged in Colorado cases

A hospital in New York state is notifying about 2,800 patients of possible exposure to hepatitis C after learning that a former employee is suspected of exposing nearly 6,000 patients in Colorado to the disease. The Painkiller-addicted scrub tech causes hepatitis scare in Colo, unnerving thousands of patients

Kimberly Spencer's 9-year-old son went to Audubon Ambulatory Surgery Center last month for what was supposed to be a routine surgery. The rambunctious child stuck a BB in his ear and doctors had to operate to remove it. What happened next shocked the family. They were notifi...

World Hepatitis Day - Photocall

2010-04-07T15:00:49Z

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 18: Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London, poses for photographs after getting tested for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, to promote getting tested ahead of World Hepatitis Day 2009 (19th May 2009), on the first ever "Get Tested!" bus at Leicester Square on May 18, 2009 in NBC News shows Jeremiah, one of the octuplets Nadya Suleman gave birth to on Jan. 26, 2009. He is being treated with light for jaundice. (AP Photo/NBC NEWS)

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