Drug Thwarts Hep C Return in Transplanted Livers
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Public release date: 7-Nov-2011
Experimental drug suppresses rebound of hepatitis C virus in liver transplant patients
Next step will combine monoclonal antibody with antiviral drugs
San Francisco — A human monoclonal antibody developed by MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) given to patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection undergoing liver transplantation significantly suppressed the virus for at least a week after transplant and delayed the time to viral rebound. Results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study were presented this week at The Liver Meeting®, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, in San Francisco.
“The challenge for patients with end-stage liver disease from HCV is that a transplant is not a cure. Because the virus remains in the blood stream, the new liver eventually becomes infected with the hepatitis C virus,” said Deborah C. Molrine, MD, deputy director of clinical and regulatory affairs at MassBiologics. “These results show that a human monoclonal antibody targeting the hepatitis C virus can significantly reduce viral loads in infected patients who receive donor livers and moves us one step closer to clearing the virus so the new liver doesn’t become chronically infected.”
Continue reading this entire article:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/uomm-eds110711.php
Contact: Jim Fessenden
James.Fessenden@umassmed.edu
508-856-2000
University of Massachusetts Medical School
