July 28, 2006

HCV and Serum Proteome

Hepatitis C virologic response predicted using serum proteome

A study from France has reported on the use of the serum proteome to predict virologic response in patients with hepatitis C treated by pegylated interferon plus ribavirin.

"Surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry is a proteomic technique that enables the global profiling of proteins. We used this approach to monitor the kinetics of serum proteome in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection receiving a standard bitherapy regimen to predict treatment response," wrote V. Paradis and colleagues, Department of Pathology.

They explained. "Ninety-six patients with chronic hepatitis C were retrospectively selected. All patients received complete treatment with pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin. Patients had serum sampling before starting treatment and at the end of treatment. Results were validated in an independent cohort of 5:1 patients."

"Comparison of protein profiles in pretreatment and after-treatment serum allowed us to characterize 50 protein peaks, the level of which significantly varied. In the group of patients with sustained virologic response, 37 peaks displayed significant variation during treatment, whereas only one peak differed in nonresponders.

"A logistic regression analysis allowed us to define an algorithm composed of 2 protein peaks (fibrosis stage and genotype) that correctly predicted, in pretreatment serum, response to treatment in 89% of all patients with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.92," the investigators wrote.

"In the independent testing group, the same difference in proteome kinetics was observed between sustained responders and nonresponders. The algorithm correctly predicted treatment response in 81% of patients in the testing group," the scientists observed.

They concluded, "This study suggests that the kinetics of proteome are significantly different in serum of patients according to treatment response. Serum protein profiling allows prediction of response to antiviral treatment in a significant proportion of patients."

Paradis and colleagues published their study in Gastroenterology (Serum proteome to predict virologic response in patients with hepatitis C treated by pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. Gastroenterology, 2006;130(7):2189-2197).

For more information, contact V. Paradis, Department of Pathology, Clichy, France.

Publisher contact information for the journal Gastroenterology is: W B Saunders Co-Elsevier Inc., Independence Square West Curtis Center, Ste. 300, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3399, USA.

July 08, 2006

Cholesterol drugs may treat hepatitis C

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cholesterol drugs called statins may help treat hepatitis C infections, Japanese researchers reported on Friday.

Tests in lab dishes suggest that some statin drugs may help stop the hepatitis C virus from replicating, they wrote in the journal Hepatology, published by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

An estimated 170 million people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis C virus. The standard treatment is a combination therapy of interferon and ribavirin but it only helps about 55 percent of patients.

The rest risk progression to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Masanori Ikeda of Okayama University in Japan and colleagues tested several statin drugs against the virus in lab dishes.

All the drugs except pravastatin interfered with the virus to some degree. Fluvastatin, sold by Novartis under the name Lescol, had the strongest effect, they reported.

It may be that certain proteins are required for the hepatitis C virus to replicate and that some statins block the action of these proteins, the researchers said.

They tested the statins along with interferon, and found each worked even better when combined with the second drug.

"We clearly demonstrated that co-treatment of interferon and fluvastatin was an overwhelmingly effective treatment," the researchers wrote.

Statins -- which include Pfizer Inc.'s $10 billion-a-year Lipitor, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Pravachol and Merck and Co. Inc.'s Zocor -- are the world's best-selling drugs, taken by millions to reduce the risk of heart attack.

But they appear to affect many biological processes. An expert proposed last month that they may affect influenza viruses, including bird flu, and other research has shown they reduce the risk of cataracts.

Generic statins are available in many countries and have become increasingly inexpensive.


-----------------


Ed's Opinion:
When would the world start thinking about defeating the virus and not the profits of these big corporations? If it needs a revolution - let us get ready for it.

Human are a surplus commodity in today's world. 170 million HCV patients are all customers...


July 07, 2006

Goodbye Ribavirin?

OKAYAMA, Japan (UPI) -- Japanese scientists say they`ve found statins, typically used as anti-cholesterol medications, can inhibit the replication of the hepatitis C virus.

The findings mean statins might be able to replace ribavirin in combination therapy with interferon. There are 170 million people worldwide infected with HCV.

The standard HCV treatment is a combination therapy of interferon and ribavirin, which is effective in about 55 percent of patients. The remaining 45 percent face a threat of the disease progressing to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Aware of recent studies showing one statin, lovastatin, inhibits HCV replication, researchers led by Masanori Ikeda of Okayama University tested other statins in search of a more effective anti-HCV therapy.

They evaluated the anti-HCV activities of five statins: atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin. When the statins were tested alone, all except pravastatin inhibited HCV replication, with fluvastatin having the strongest effect; atorvastatin and simvastatin had moderate effects and lovastatin had a weak effect.

The findings are reported in the July issue of the journal Hepatology.