At Digestive Disease WeekŪ (DDW), research presented explores pharmaceutical advances for treating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) and hepatitis C.
An international study holds promising results for patients suffering from IBS-D. In the phase II study, researchers found that the drug ibodutant significantly improved symptoms in more than 50 percent of the individuals treated.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a contagious viral disease affecting the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C virus.
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"While there's been a lot of progress in medicines for IBS with constipation, we haven't seen the same in IBS with diarrhea," said Jan Tack, MD, professor and director of the division of gastroenterology and internal medicine at Leuven University in Belgium. "Up to this point, we haven't been able to provide a pharmaceutical option for this patient group that successfully manages the pain associated with the condition."
IBS is an extremely common condition, affecting an estimated 10 percent of adults. Funded by Menarini, the double-blind, multinational study recruited 559 patients with IBS-D who were randomized and treated with 1, 3 or 10 mg of ibodutant or a placebo. Patients took an oral tablet once daily for eight consecutive weeks. Researchers found that 10 mg was the most effective dose and that it worked best for females.
![Targeted Screening for Hepatitis C is Cost-effective: Research]( "Targeted Screening for Hepatitis C is Cost-effective: Research")
At the University of Cincinnati, researchers have found that targeted screening for populations with a higher estimated prevalence for hepatitis C may be cost-effective.
"These are exciting findings that could bring a lot of relief to many patients," said Dr. Tack said. "We're looking forward to moving into phase III to confirm our findings with a much larger sample of patients."
New therapy for patients with hepatitis C examined New research suggests that an investigational therapy for patients with hepatitis C can achieve high response rates in a wide range of patients, even those who respond poorly to current treatments. The study examined the safety and efficacy of interferon-free regimens, including three direct-acting antiviral drugs with and without ribavirin, for 12 or 24 weeks, in patients with chronic hepatitis C who were either treatment-naïve or had previously failed standard treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin.
In the phase II study, researchers found that the treatment regimens achieved high sustained virologic response (SVR) rates, an efficacy measure of a hepatitis C treatment, in non-cirrhotic patients with HCV genotype-1 (GT 1). SVR was achieved by 98.7 percent of treatment-naïve patients and 93.3 percent of prior nonresponders after 12 weeks of treatment with three direct-acting agents with ribavirin.
"Hepatitis C genotype 1 is the most common type of hepatitis in the U.S., and many of these patients are still quite difficult to treat with current interferon-based therapies," said Frederick Nunes, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine at Penn Medicine. "This includes specific populations such as African Americans and patients with high body mass or pre-diabetes. These results suggest that highly effective regimens like this one may overcome that difficulty, without the need for interferon."
Source: Eurekalert
Targeted Screening for Hepatitis C is Cost-effective: Research
At the University of Cincinnati, researchers have found that targeted screening for populations with a higher estimated prevalence for hepatitis C may be cost-effective.
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"These are exciting findings that could bring a lot of relief to many patients," said Dr. Tack said. "We're looking forward to moving into phase III to confirm our findings with a much larger sample of patients."
New therapy for patients with hepatitis C examined New research suggests that an investigational therapy for patients with hepatitis C can achieve high response rates in a wide range of patients, even those who respond poorly to current treatments. The study examined the safety and efficacy of interferon-free regimens, including three direct-acting antiviral drugs with and without ribavirin, for 12 or 24 weeks, in patients with chronic hepatitis C who were either treatment-naïve or had previously failed standard treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin.
In the phase II study, researchers found that the treatment regimens achieved high sustained virologic response (SVR) rates, an efficacy measure of a hepatitis C treatment, in non-cirrhotic patients with HCV genotype-1 (GT 1). SVR was achieved by 98.7 percent of treatment-naïve patients and 93.3 percent of prior nonresponders after 12 weeks of treatment with three direct-acting agents with ribavirin.
"Hepatitis C genotype 1 is the most common type of hepatitis in the U.S., and many of these patients are still quite difficult to treat with current interferon-based therapies," said Frederick Nunes, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine at Penn Medicine. "This includes specific populations such as African Americans and patients with high body mass or pre-diabetes. These results suggest that highly effective regimens like this one may overcome that difficulty, without the need for interferon."
Source: Eurekalert
New Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents Show Promise in Hepatitis C Treatment
A number of clinical trials reveal that new direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) are showing promise in treatment of hepatitis C.
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 Sofosbuvir Therapy Linked to High Cure Rate for 2 Hepatitis C SubtypesA team of scientists says that a new drug is offering dramatic cure rates for hepatitis C patients with two subtypes of the infection. | Advertisement
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