Hep B Blog

Tag Archives: hepatitis B

Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review – May 2015

ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • New Treatments Targeting Hepatitis B Start Clinical Trials Soon
  • Experts Urge Doctors to Screen Pregnant Women for Both Hepatitis B and High Viral Loads
  • Using Antivirals Early in a Pregnancy Reduces Infection of Newborns
  • Some Pregnant Women in U.S. Still Not Getting Screened for HBV and STIs
  • High Viral Loads in Men Increase the Amount of HBV DNA in Their Sperm
  • Despite Vaccine, Rural States See Rise in Hepatitis B Due to Heroin Use
  • More Than Half of Young Drug Users Are Not Vaccinated Against Hepatitis A and B
  • Shorter Vaccination Schedule Works to Prevent Infection Among Drug Users
  • Generic Entecavir Could Treat All Patients Worldwide for $36 a Year
  • Reformulated Tenofovir Appears Better at Fighting Infection in Liver Cells
  • Another Report Calls for Doctors to Screen All Patients for HBV Before Starting Chemotherapy
  • Study Confirms Aflatoxins Increase Liver Cancer in Hepatitis B Patients

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review – May 2015" →

Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review April 2015

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ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • Half of Patients with HBV Genotype C Will Lose HBsAg
  • Five-year Study Shows Tenofovir Dramatically Improves Cirrhosis
  • Tenofovir Also Effective Against Adefovir and Multi-drug Resistance
  • Tenofovir Is Effective in Pregnant Women Who Have Resistance to Other Drugs
  • Estimates of Liver Cirrhosis in the U.S. Jump 50%
  • Taking Antivirals for Three Years After Undetectable Viral Load Reduces Relapse Risk
  • Study Finds Antivirals Can Replace Costly HBIG after Liver Transplant Surgery
  • Hospitalized Hepatitis B Patients Have Higher Death Rates and Longer Stays Than Hepatitis C Patients
  • Small Study Finds Psoriasis Treatment May Not Reactivate Hepatitis B
  • Emulsion Made from Ginkgo Leaves Shows Promise Against Hepatitis B
  • Experimental Treatment Boosts the Immune System and Slows Viral Replication
  • HIV-HBV Coinfected Patients Have High Rates of Hip Fractures

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review April 2015" →

Liver Cancer

Webinar on Treatment Options for Liver Cancer: What You Need to Know

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Please join the Hepatitis B Foundation’s Liver Cancer Connect program and world-renowned liver disease specialist, Dr. Robert Gish for a webinar on Monday, April 27th 12 noon EDT to learn about liver cancer treatment. How does the stage of the cancer affect treatment? Why are screening and surveillance so important? What are the available treatments and what are the therapies in development? Continue reading "Webinar on Treatment Options for Liver Cancer: What You Need to Know" →

Hepatitis B Advocacy

Hepatitis on the Hill – HBV Personal Perspective and Action Alert

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75 hepatitis B and C advocates join together for Hepatitis on the Hill!

On March 9-10 I participated in “Hepatitis on the Hill” in Washington, DC. The event was organized by Hep B United (HBU), the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) and the Hepatitis Appropriations Partnership (HAP), and brought together both hepatitis B and C advocates. This was an incredible opportunity to work together, network, and advocate on the Hill. Continue reading "Hepatitis on the Hill – HBV Personal Perspective and Action Alert" →

Hepatitis B Advocacy, Living with Hepatitis B

Action Alert! Urge Your House Representative To Support Increased Hepatitis B and C Funding!

red-phonePlease tell your Representative that viral hepatitis is important to YOU, and ask for support of the President’s proposed FY16 budget increase for the Division of Viral Hepatitis, CDC. Increased funding is essential to support HBV and HCV programs. You don’t have to be politically savvy to participate, but we need your help. Call, email or write today! 

Representatives Mike Honda, Hank Johnson, and Judy Chu are asking all House Representatives to sign an important letter supporting a doubling in funding for hepatitis B and C programs in the Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations bill (see text of letter below). This is the same increase in funding that President Obama recommends in his proposed budget, which was released last month. The deadline for Representatives to sign the letter is end of day, March 19, 2015.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to ask our House Representatives for leadership in the fight against the hepatitis B and C epidemics. The more signatures on this letter, the better chance of securing badly needed funding to expand testing, linkage to care, surveillance, and other vital services.

Please take a few minutes before March 19th to call your House Representative’s office in Washington, DC and ask/him to sign this letter. Continue reading "Action Alert! Urge Your House Representative To Support Increased Hepatitis B and C Funding!" →

Hepatitis B Prevention, Living with Hepatitis B

The Fifty Shades of “Gray” of Hepatitis B Transmission – Part 2

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1716136dfa105e7f9bdf96de16e31742You can’t neatly package and control everything, but you can use good judgment and not over react when thinking about hepatitis B transmission. Hep B is not casually transmitted, but you know yourself, and both infected and uninfected individuals can take simple precautions. If you don’t have hepatitis B and you are sexually active, make sure you are vaccinated. If you have hep B, encourage your partners to get vaccinated. If you’re not in a monogamous relationship and/or one partner has not completed the hepatitis B vaccine series, use a condom!

(Click here if you’re looking for Part 1) Continue reading "The Fifty Shades of “Gray” of Hepatitis B Transmission – Part 2" →

Hepatitis B Prevention, Living with Hepatitis B

The Fifty Shades of “Gray” of Hepatitis B Transmission – Part 1

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1716136dfa105e7f9bdf96de16e31742All pun and a little fun is intended with this title, but the “adult” version of hepatitis B transmission is a serious concern. There are “shades of gray” when it comes to hepatitis B transmission and the degree of risk with sexual activity. Continue reading "The Fifty Shades of “Gray” of Hepatitis B Transmission – Part 1" →

Hepatitis B Treatment

HBV Journal Review February 2015

ChrisKHBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored:

  • Quality of Care for Women with Hepatitis B Varies Dramatically Across U.S.
  • One-third of HBeAg-negative Women Experience “Flares” After Childbirth
  • Immunizing Newborns Is an Effective Tool in Preventing Cancer
  • Experts Warn: Don’t Delay Treatment in Patients with HBV Genotype C
  • Antivirals Help Patients with Cirrhosis, If Started Early Enough
  • Entecavir Effective at Clearing HBV’s cccDNA from Liver Cells
  • Older Age and a Weakened Immune System Can Cause HBV to Reactivate
  • Survey Shows Doctors Fail to Adequately Screen for Liver Cancer
  • Innovative Venues Increase Hepatitis B Screening Among Asian-Americans
  • Study Finds Waste Collectors at High Risk of Hepatitis B
  • Study Comparing Four Antivirals Finds All Appear Effective

Continue reading "HBV Journal Review February 2015" →

Hepatitis B Treatment

The Drug Discovery Process

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It takes talent, dedication, lots of  time, and a sizable investment to bring a safe and effective drug to market. The Drug Discovery Process YouTube video, compliments of PhRMAPress, introduces the long and arduous drug process from the identification of a compound in the lab, though clinical trials and the FDA approval process. It may sound simple, but this process may take up to 1,000 people, 12-15 years and up to 1.3 to 1.6 billion dollars to put a new drug in the hands of the patient.

Consider this process when following the progress of  hepatitis B drugs on the Hepatitis B Foundation Drug Watch page.  Compounds could remain in various stages for years. Note that the “preclinical” phase represents the drugs that are still in the lab and not yet ready for human clinical trials.

The Hepatitis B Foundation also maintains a webpage with the latest hepatitis B related clinical trials. Contact information is provided for each trial for those wishing to volunteer to participate.  Volunteers must meet the criteria for participation in a trial.

The future looks bright for a functional cure for hepatitis B. It may take a few more years to get the drug into the hands of the patient, but each step of the process is crucial in order to produce a drug that is both effective and safe.

 

 

 

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute