Summary of investigational Hepatitis C

Today on the website I have aspired to summarize in a somewhat easy to understand format the data presented at the March 2011 EASL conference . It has been estimated that over 3.2 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C (I was one of them), enter the millions of patients currently sifting through the studies, abstracts, and relevant information on the new drugs to treat this virus. 

The news on both telaprevir and boceprevir remain to be impressive. If we compare the raw numbers presented in the recent data on both drugs we can't help but notice the SVR in patients who failed therapy and treated with boceprevir is at 66 percent, compared to a SVR of 83 percent in patients who also failed therapy but treated with telaprevir. You can view all abstracts/information in this summary. 

Other remarkable news came from the drug company Pharmasset which presented studies on the PSI-938 and PSI-7977 combination. The study was in treatment-naive, non-cirrhotic patients with genotype 1, these patients were treated with PSI-938 and PSI-7977 (Monotherapy) without pegylated-interferon and ribavirin.  Patients in the study "all" achieved undetectable in short-term followup . The drugs have high barriers to resistance, and broad genotype coverage.

Prevent heart attacks and strokes by lowering LDL cholesterol

Benefits of lowering LDL cholesterol are:

• Reducing or stopping the formation of new cholesterol plaques on the artery walls
• Reducing existing cholesterol plaques on the artery walls and widening the arteries
• Preventing the rupture of cholesterol plaques, which initiates blood clot formation and blocks blood vessels
• Decreasing the risk of heart attacks
• Decreasing the risk of strokes
• Decreasing the risk of peripheral artery disease

Determine the level of LDL cholesterol

The liver manufactures and secretes LDL cholesterol into the blood. It also removes LDL cholesterol from the blood by active LDL receptors on the surface of its cells. A decrease number of liver cell LDL receptors is associated with high LDL cholesterol blood levels.

Both heredity and diet have a significant influence on a person's LDL, HDL and total cholesterol levels. For example, familial hypercholesterolemia (hyper= more + cholesterol + emia= in blood) is a common inherited disorder whose victims have a diminished number or nonexistent LDL receptors on the surface of liver cells. People with this disorder also tend to develop atherosclerosis and heart attacks during early adulthood.

Diets that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol raise the levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood. Fats are classified as saturated or unsaturated (according to their chemical structure). Saturated fats are derived primarily from meat and dairy products and can raise blood cholesterol levels. Some vegetable oils made from coconut, palm, and cocoa are also high in saturated fats.