HCV / Hepatitis

Under its final guidance, all prospective blood donors will answer a series of individual, risk-based questions to determine eligibility.

AI tools have taken front and center stage in 2023. One area of interest is how the new technology can be applied in infectious disease surveillance. A new article in the New England Journal of Medicine explores this concept.

The mandatory reporting of Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) by hospitals participating in the CMS Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program beginning next year is a important strategy in curbing the overuse of antibiotics.

There is a lot going on in this area in medicine and here is the most up-to-date news on health programs and therapies.

Investigators found most cases were infected with adeno-associated virus 2 and a helper virus, though it’s unclear what role the former plays.

May marks Hepatitis Awareness Month. There is a lot to be thankful for, as there has been a lot of inroads made in terms of curative therapy, vaccine development, and now the federal government is putting a major emphasis on getting people into the continuum of care. Still education is needed to help prevent the silent killer.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use expressed a positive opinion for bulevirtide for treatment of hepatitis D (HDV).

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) offers benefits for patients as well as providing cost effectiveness; however, it is not without its challenges. Two clinicians provide insights on this modality.

The last week in April is World Immunization Week, and we're recapping the most recent and significant developments in infectious disease vaccines.

Increased understanding of HCV protective immunity and HCV envelope glycoprotein structure and function may propel development of an HCV vaccine.

New research suggests that patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B can achieve functional cure after ending nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NUCs) treatment.

A new study demonstrates having 1 risk factor or more increases the odds of testing positive for hepatitis C (HCV) by 20% compared to individuals without any risk factors.

In patients with hepatitis D (HDV) and compensated cirrhosis, a newer antiviral therapy, bulevirtide (Hepcludex), proved to be efficacious and safe to patients.

In this guest commentary, Thelma King Thiel, RN, co-founder and chair of the Liver Health Initiative talks about the link between viral hepatitis and liver cancer as well as the need for public awareness to take preventative steps towards trying to prevent both of them.

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.