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  • Study Suggests Vaccine and HBIG Ineffective at Preventing "Occult" Hepatitis B in Babies Born to Infected Mothers

    — Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate A new study suggests for the first time that the combination of the hepatitis B vaccine and HBIG (hepatitis B immune globulin) may be ineffective in preventing "occult" hepatitis B in babies born to mothers infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). An occult infection occurs when a person tests negative for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)—considered an essential antigen building block for HBV—while testing positive for HBV DNA. When this occult infection occurs, researchers suspect the HBsAg has somehow mutated so conventional lab tests can't identify it. In the recent study, published in the November issue of the Journal of Viral Hepatitis, researchers compared outcomes in babies born to infected mothers who were given only the vaccine or a combination of the vaccine and HBIG, which is composed of hepatitis B surface antibodies derived from humans. They found that occult HBV infection occurred in 42% of 222 babies two years after their births. Most of the children with occult infections had received both the vaccine and HBIG, leading researchers to suggest that HBIG may play a role in promoting the development of an occult infection, or else the mothers may have received antiviral treatment that led to the HBsAg mutation. Hepatitis B vaccination with or without hepatitis B immunoglobulin at birth to babies born of HBsAg-positive mothers prevents overt HBV transmission but may not prevent occult HBV infection in babies: a randomized controlled trial.  Pande C, et al.. Department of Gastroenterology, GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, India; Special Centre for Molecular Medicine (SCMM), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India. J Viral Hepat. 2013 Nov;20(11):801-10. doi: 10.1111/jvh.12102. Epub 2013 Apr 23. Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24168259 Abstract Vertical transmission of Hepatitis B virus HBV can result in a state of chronic HBV infection and its complications. HBV

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/study-suggests-vaccine-and-hbig-ineffective-at-preventing-occult-hepatitis-b-in-babies-born-to-infected-mothers/
  • ISIS/GSK and Tekmira Come Out with HBV Knockdown Plans

    Harnessing the Power of RNAi Gene Silencing in Quest of a Cure for Chronic Hepatitis B, and the HBV KnockDown blog written by Dirk Haussecker, who believes it's about time everyone got serious about a functional cure for hepatitis B.  If you did not appreciate the value the pharmaceutical industry has come to place on the HBsAg knockdown concept for achieving a functional cure for chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) infection, the last two days will have woken you up. Yesterday, ISIS Pharmaceuticals reported that it had received a $7M milestone payment related to the development of an antiviral RNaseH development candidate (ISIS-GSK3Rx, aka ISIS-HBVRx) which, although undisclosed for competitive reasons, has got to be for HBV.  And today, Tekmira publicly announced that they will file an IND for an HBV-RNAi candidate in 2014 while hinting at the partnering potential of such a treatment candidate. Arrowhead Research is thus not alone in their efforts any more.  Coincidentally, Arrowhead reported today the completion of their enrollment of the phase I single-dose, healthy volunteer study with ARC520, their DPC-delivered candidate for chronic HBV.  Accordingly, the dose escalation was able to run through all the pre-planned 6 dose cohorts up to the top dose of 2.0mg/kg. Apparently, there were no signs of significant dose-related toxicities.  The only finding of concern among the 36 volunteers, 24 of which received drug, was 2 cases of lightheadedness of uncertain clinical relevance.  As these occurred at the highest dose, it seems that the company suspects that it could have been drug-related although the study remains blinded for follow-up. A dose of 2mg/kg without any serious adverse events or dose-limiting toxicities is a great start for DPC delivery technology.  This is especially the case when one considers that the single-molecule subQ version of DPC that I hope will form the basis for the upcoming pipeline candidates, except for the next one perhaps, will

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/isisgsk-and-tekmira-come-out-with-hbv-knockdown-plans/
  • HBV Journal Review - October 2013

    … alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, which shows liver damage, tested in the past year. • Only 51% had their viral load (HBV DNA) tested. • Only 51% had been screened for liver cancer (either with an alpha fetoprotein test or some type of liver imaging). This test should be performed annually, and doctors are at risk of medical malpractice if they do not screen patients for cancer. • HBeAg tests were performed in only 29% of patients. • Only 32% of the hepatitis B patients had been immunized against hepatitis A, another guideline requirement, to protect them from another liver infection. Bottom line, researchers found that only 21% of patients had been monitored properly in compliance with current hepatitis B guidelines. Forty-three percent of doctors were not familiar with medical guidelines for hepatitis B management and only 73% answered all questions about hepatitis B correctly. There was also a racial bias regarding which HBV-infected patients were screened for hepatitis C and HIV. Doctors tended to test African-American and Latino patients for hepatitis C (48% and 44% respectively) at a higher rate than they tested whites and Asian-American patients (34% and 31%.) The study suggests that fear of malpractice—more than knowledge of current practice guidelines—may drive doctors to perform the required liver cancer screenings each year. Also, the researchers suggest that hepatitis B public education initiatives, spearheaded by the San Francisco Hepatitis B Free Campaign, may have contributed to better monitoring of Asian-Americans because it raised awareness among the public and their providers. "These findings highlight the importance of targeted provider education to improve overall care," for hepatitis B, the researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, suggest. Continue reading about this and additional HBV related studies

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hbv-journal-review-october-2013/
  • Join Hep B United, CDC DVH, HBF, AAPCHO and CDC NPIN for a Twitter Chat!

    Mark you calendars! Join Hep B United,CDC Division of Viral Hepatitis , HBF, AAPCHO and CDC NPIN for a Twitter Chat on Tuesday, November 19th, 3pm EST to discuss the Know Hepatitis B campaign and what Hep B United, partners and coalition members are doing to raise awareness and increase hepatitis B testing and vaccination among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver cancer and a major health disparity among AAPIs who are disproportionately impacted by HBV. Are you interested in participating in the chat, or following the conversation, but you know nothing about twitter? Here’s a little start-up guide so you have a basic background about twitter and how you might use it as another channel for you or your organization’s HBV messages, events and information, and to communicate with your partners and communities. Everything You Need to Participate in the Hep B United Twitter Chat, November 19th, 3pm EST Twitter allows you to stay connected or exchange short messages called tweets with friends, family, co-workers, organizations and partners, and the world at large. You can tweet from your computer, your laptop, i-pad or smartphone. You can use it to update your status on the go, or in HBF’s case, use it to educate and raise hepatitis B awareness. HBF also uses it to send out current or new information on hepatitis B and to make our resources available to others.  It’s also a great way to search for recent HBV news. As a Hep B United Coalition member, or HBV advocate, twitter is a great outlet to get your message out there, and to share information with partners and your community. What you need to get started: Twitter username Email address Short Bio statement (160 chars or less) about your twitter account Profile picture or logo to brand your twitter account When creating a twitter account, consider how you plan to use the account. Will this be a personal account, where you can retweet other material

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/join-hep-b-united-cdc-hbf-and-aapcho-for-a-twitter-chat/
  • Big Thank You to 2 Hep B Heroes

      HBF would like to thank Hep B Heroes Nina and Richie Kahn. Richie recently ran the Delaware Marathon, and he and Nina used this opportunity to raise money for the Hepatitis B Foundation. Nina and Richie, thank you for your generous donation and your commitment to those living with hepatitis B! "Back in 2008, I suffered a pretty horrific knee injury running the Philadelphia Half-Marathon. Several years, surgical procedures, and rehabilitation sessions later, I’m running again. So, I figured why not put my stamina to the test by running my first marathon while raising money for a wonderful cause? On May 12th, I ran the Delaware Marathon to raise money for the Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF). For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of working with HBF, the foundation is the only national non-profit organization solely dedicated to the global problem of hepatitis B. They are dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B worldwide. This commitment includes funding focused research, promoting disease awareness, supporting immunization and treatment initiatives, and serving as the primary source of information for patients and their families, the medical and scientific community, and the general public. I finished the race in 3:59:23, 218th overall. More importantly, thanks to the generous support of friends, co-workers, and colleagues, we were able to raise nearly $3,000 for the Hepatitis B Foundation. Be sure to check out the Hepatitis B Foundation's website to learn about the excellent work they do at http://hepb.org/."    

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/big-thank-you-to-2-hep-b-heroes/