HCV / Hepatitis

First global meta-analysis of direct surveys of HIV, HCV incidence in people who inject drugs (PWID) finds youth and women most affected.

A recent study of patients evaluated for chronic hepatitis B in Austria found that 9.2% had severe fibrosis or cirrhosis, 5.7% were coinfected with hepatitis D, and up to 30% met treatment criteria.

Aaron Ferguson’s diagnosis completely changed his life’s path. Since then, he has helped others overcome their addictions and get hepatitis C (HCV) treatment. In his home state of Texas, a new health initiative is looking to get more people into the continuum of care for this curable virus.

The oral RNA destabilizer, AB-161, developed by Arbutus Biopharma, started dosing its first participant for the small trial.

It affects strawberry products that were sold at Costco and Trader Joe’s.

Bemnifosbuvir, the investigational therapy, demonstrated favorable data that was announced at this week's 2023 International Conference on Antiviral Research.

An investigator who helped draft the new recommendations discusses universal screening, the challenges of risk-based testing, and the overall goals of reducing HBV incidence rates.

The risk of congenital heart diseases in offspring was increased among mothers with preconception previous hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Cirrhosis, older age, and vaccine type were among factors associated with lower antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines in patients with chronic liver disease, new research shows.

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.