HCV / Hepatitis

In the White House’s new budget they have put aside several billion dollars towards establishing a hepatitis C (HCV) program. In addition, an HCV vaccine is expected to go into phase 1 clinical trials this year, and a pharmaceutical company is working with states to gain better therapeutic access.

Global health officials highlighted an urgent need to ramp up efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis, with 1 million deaths annually at stake.

One of the most significant recommendations is for all adults to be tested for the virus at least once in their lifetime.

The hepatitis B vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted (Heplisav-B) is approved in adults 18 years of age and older, and the vaccine’s developer, Dynavax, is working towards finding potential commercial partners for Great Britain.

The therapy, bepirovirsen, is an antisense oligonucleotide that targets all Hepatitis B (HBV) messenger RNAs, and the company is hoping it will become a functional cure.

It seems likely that stress, anxiety, and isolation could be factors, but have not yet been definitively determined, the study authors said.

Here's a recap of our most newsworthy coverage of the CROI 2023 conference.

Despite effective vaccines and other prevention and treatment modalities, hepatitis B remains a global health challenge. “It’s not for the lack of available tools,” says professor and hepatologist H. Nina Kim, MD, MSc.

Results reported at CROI showed that 2 cohorts of the ongoing, phase 3 DELIVER study that this form of PrEP modality posed no differences in pregnancy and infant outcomes.

“We should test everybody,” said Charles Béguelin, noting that the vast majority of hepatitis D infections go undetected.

“One size never fits all,” says hepatologist Anna Suk-Fong Lok, MD, emphasizing the need to tailor hepatitis B treatment to fit the patient.

A clinician offers insights on the initial conversations around learning to treat a chronic disease and the importance behind getting patients started down the right treatment path in the early days following a diagnosis.

The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) begins today and SARS-CoV-2 has developed into a sustained topic at this annual conference.

A recent study suggests that metabolic factors such as hypertension and diabetes were associated with an increased risk of liver fibrosis among patients with metabolic associated fatty liver disease who had hepatitis B virus infection.

Although HIV remains a pervasive epidemic, there have been tremendous advancements and progress in HIV prevention, and the work continues.

Here is an overview of highly anticipated HIV trial data ViiV Healthcare will share next week at the CROI 2023 conference.

Some chronic hepatitis B patients experienced a dramatic decrease in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Could there be a correlation?

This finding, in addition to published clinical data, suggests VEGF-B signaling may play a significant role in human non-alcoholic fatty liver disease pathophysiology.

This week's most-read story described healthy lifestyle choices that are proven to decrease the risk of "long COVID."

New research identified the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is essential for hepatitis E to enter cells.

International research efforts developed recommendations to optimize, control, and validate quantitative viral DNA measurements of chronic hepatitis B in the liver.

February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NBHAAD). In observance, we're recapping stories to raise awareness and work toward ending HIV/AIDS disparities in Black communities.

Point-of-care RNA viral load testing is associated with shorter times between testing and treatment initiation and higher treatment uptake, a recent study found.

In doing so, the country met the new target of the World Health Organization.

The mRNA vaccines reduced risk of COVID-19 and related complications in children, with less risk of myocarditis than is associated with the infection.

Investigators identify a mechanism that’s vital to the progression of alcohol-related hepatitis, paving the way for new treatments.

Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV and hepatitis B, may be simultaneously depleting the energy of immune cells.

What is the hepatitis C treatment uptake among people who inject drugs?

Therapies to reach a functional cure for hepatitis B virus may differ among the phases of hepatitis B, including new antiviral agents and immunomodulatory strategies, the study authors predicted.