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ICAAC: High Rates of SVR24 for BMS-790052, an NS5A Replication Complex Inhibitor, in Combination With PegIFN-alfa-2a and Ribavirin: Phase 2a Trial in Treatment-Naive HCV Genotype 1 Subjects
ICAAC: BMS-790052 Plus Peginterferon Alfa and Ribavirin Demonstrated up to 83% Sustained Virologic Response 24 Weeks Post-Treatment (SVR24) in Phase II Study of Genotype 1 Hepatitis C Patients -
Could engineered fatty particles help prevent AIDS?
Liposomes block HIV infection in early tests; could be a cost-effective preventive for developing countries
HIV vaccines are in their infancy, and effective microbicides to prevent sexual transmission of HIV still don't exist. Protection is especially needed for women, who make up nearly half of all global cases. Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston envision a new way for women to protect themselves before sex: an applicator filled with specially formulated fatty particles called liposomes.
In tests led by Daniel Kohane, MD, PhD, director of the Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery at Children's Hospital Boston, liposomes inhibited HIV infection in cell culture and appeared safe in female mice when injected intravaginally. The findings are reported in the November issue of the journal Biomaterials, published online September 19.
Liposomes are spherical particles with a double outer layer of lipids (fats) and hollow centers. They are relatively easy and cheap to engineer, and thus present a viable option for developing countries, where the cost of anti-HIV drugs bars access for most people.
Liposomes can be filled with drugs or other compounds, but in this case, Kohane and colleagues found, to their surprise, that the liposomes alone were effective in blocking infection.
"We had been planning do much more complex things, like putting ligands on the surface to increase binding to HIV," says Kohane. "It was a surprise that liposomes alone worked so well. Simplicity is always better – if liposomes work by themselves, we may not need anything else, and it would be cheaper and potentially much safer."
Kohane and colleagues hope to conduct further tests to better understand how the liposomes are blocking infection. They bind to HIV, perhaps interfering with the virus's ability to fuse with cell membranes, the first step in infection.
"The idea, simplistically, is that liposomes look like cell membranes," says Kohane, "so maybe we could use them as decoys to prevent HIV infection."
Kohane and colleagues formulated a range of liposomes using various naturally occurring and synthetic lipids and screened them systematically in cell cultures. Several formulations showed a good therapeutic profile, protecting the cells from HIV infection without being toxic. Especially effective were liposomes containing cardiolipin, a fat that was first found in animal hearts; performance was further improved by adding a synthetic phospholipid.
Tested in female mice, these formulations caused little or no inflammation, which can compromise the vaginal lining and increase the risk of HIV transmission. Imaging confirmed that the liposomes remained in place or left the body, but did not travel beyond the vagina.
"This research makes an important contribution towards creating a safe and effective form of HIV prevention for women," says Nikita Malavia, PhD, the study's first author, who worked in Kohane's lab and in the lab of Robert Langer, ScD, of MIT. "Women in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa often cannot control their male partners' use of condoms, making them three times more likely to be HIV-positive than men. This technology could enable women to take control in their own hands."
Though some intravaginal compounds are in the pipeline, none are available yet. The advantage of using liposomes is that they are inexpensive, easy to formulate into ointments or gels, and stable for long periods of time, making them a particularly good option in resource-poor settings.
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Kohane hopes to get further funding to test liposome formulations in other animal models.
The study was funded by the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative and the National Institutes of Health.
About Children's Hospital Boston
Children's Hospital Boston is home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 1,100 scientists, including nine members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and nine members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Children's Hospital Boston today is a 396 bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care grounded in the values of excellence in patient care and sensitivity to the complex needs and diversity of children and families. Children's also is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information about research and clinical innovation at Children's, visit: http://vectorblog.org.
Scientist Suggests That Squalamine Be Explored As A Human Antiviral Agent
20 September 2011
A compound initially isolated from sharks shows potential as a unique broad-spectrum human antiviral agent, according to a study led by a Georgetown University Medical Center investigator and reported in the Proceedings of...
Woman exposed to Hepatitis C gives emotional testimony
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- The Hepatitis C civil trial continued Monday with emotional testimony from Anne Arnold, who contracted the disease during an outbreak that became public in 2008.
"I pride myself on being a strong woman and this took me right down," says Arnold.
Her nightmare began in July, 2007 at the Southern Nevada Endoscopy Center. It was Friday the 13th and Anne went in for a routine colonoscopy.
That was the day she contracted Hepatitis C... Read More
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Obama’s deficit plan targets drug companies, hospitals and future Medicare beneficiaries
By Associated Press,WASHINGTON — Health care savings in President Barack Obama’s deficit-reduction plan would squeeze future Medicare recipients, cut payments to drug companies and hospitals, and shift costs to states.
Still, some advocates say the president’s approach is less painful than other major ideas being debated this year, from privatizing Medicare to letting the states run Medicaid without a federal guarantee that the poor would get needed care.
“This is a question of ‘compared to what?’” said John Rother, president of the National Coalition on Health Care, a research and advocacy group. “I would describe this as an attempt to spread the pain pretty broadly. While it does hit Medicare beneficiaries, it’s better than most of the alternatives we’ve seen thus far, which would involve bigger hits.”
Obama did promise Medicare beneficiaries that he’d veto any legislation asking them to sacrifice without also raising taxes on upper-income earners. But he didn’t issue them a complete pass.
Instead, his administration is borrowing from corporate America’s playbook by proposing to raise a range of costs for future retirees, while mostly shielding Medicare’s 48 million current beneficiaries. Under the president’s plan, starting in 2017:
—Upper-income beneficiaries would pay higher monthly premiums for outpatient and prescription coverage. Eventually about a quarter of all Medicare beneficiaries would be hit with the higher income-related premiums that only a small share of seniors now pay.
—Newly signed-up beneficiaries would pay a penalty if they also purchase private insurance that covers all or most of Medicare’s copayments and deductibles. Administration officials say such insurance encourages over-treatment.
—New beneficiaries would pay a $100 copayment for home health services, unless they have just been discharged from a hospital or nursing home.
—New beneficiaries would pay a higher annual deductible for outpatient services. The so-called Part B deductible, currently $162, is indexed for inflation. It would go up by $25 for new enrollees in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
“You can’t reduce the deficit without making some people pay more or get less,” said Paul Van de Water, a senior analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which advocates for the poor. “If you think there should be no cuts in Medicare, anywhere, then this obviously goes too far. If, at the end of the day, you recognize that they have to make some further reductions, then these are about the best you can do.”
Try telling that to the pharmaceutical industry. Obama’s plan would cut their payments by $135 billion over 10 years, accounting for more than one-third of his total health care savings. The president wants drug makers to pay rebates to Medicare, along the lines of what they now pay Medicaid. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says it would lead to the loss of thousands of jobs in the industry.
Hospitals and nursing homes, slated for a mix of cuts and efficiency measures, are also complaining. The American Hospital Association says if Obama’s plan becomes law, hospitals and related businesses would lose 200,000 jobs by 2021.
Doctors also have reason to be concerned. Without endorsing any particular fix, Obama’s plan assumes that Congress will address the main issue facing doctors: a scheduled 30 percent cut in Medicare payments next year due to a previous budget law gone awry. A solution being considered by congressional advisers would cut payments to specialists and freeze rates for primary care doctors.
Obama also wants to give additional authority to a new agency called the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which could force further cuts for medical providers.
All told, Obama’s plan would cut Medicare by $248 billion over 10 years and squeeze another $72 billion from Medicaid. Some of Medicaid savings involve shifting costs to the states by rejiggering the federal payment formula and limiting a strategy currently used by states to draw more federal dollars.
Two leading organizations that supported Obama’s health care overhaul law are expressing concerns about his latest plan. AARP says it could result in arbitrary cuts to Medicare. Families USA, a liberal advocacy group, says the Medicaid cuts could undermine coverage for the uninsured.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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