Cingles Info

LOL,
You mean them critters look like ticks??? Oh no! Now how do I know
if my dogs have ticks or crabs!! LMAO..........Dana in PA

Clinical Trial Results Show That Peregrine's First-In-Class Anti-Viral Agent
Tarvacin(TM) Is Safe And Well-Tolerated In HCV Patients
Article Date: 28 Feb 2006 - 0:00am (UK)
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PPHM), a biopharmaceutical company with a
portfolio of innovative, clinical stage product candidates for viral diseases
and cancer, today announced that it will present top line data demonstrating
that its first-in-class anti-viral compound Tarvacin(TM) Anti-Viral appeared
safe and well-tolerated in a Phase l study in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)
infected patients. Initial results from the Phase l study will be presented at
1:50 pm EST today at the Strategic Research Institute's 2nd Annual "Viral
Hepatitis in Drug Discovery and Development" conference in Boston.
Tarvacin Anti-Viral is the first in a new class of anti-phosphotidylserine (PS)
immunotherapeutics that targets and binds to cellular components that are
normally not present on the outside of cells, but which become exposed on
certain virally infected cells and on the surface of enveloped viruses. Tarvacin
helps stimulate the body's immune defenses to destroy both the virus particles
and the infected cells.
The primary goals of the Phase l study were to determine the safety profile and
distribution properties of Tarvacin in patients with chronic hepatitis C viral
infections. The data will support initiation of repeat dose and combination
therapy trials that the company expects to begin later this year. In the
ascending, single dose trial, 24 patients with chronic HCV who had either failed
or who no longer responded to standard-of-care treatment were administered
Tarvacin Anti-Viral. The drug was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events
reported at any of the four dose levels tested, and no potential dose limiting
toxicities were observed. Reported adverse events were mild, infrequent,
transient and likely not drug-related.
"Demonstrating the safety of the new approach is a critical step in developing a
first-in-class therapeutic, so this Phase l data indicating that Tarvacin
appears to be safe and well-tolerated is a key milestone for the program," said
Steven W. King, president and CEO of Peregrine. "Completing this study ahead of
schedule with the safety profile observed should help us to expedite advancing
the Tarvacin Anti-Viral HCV clinical program into repeat dose and combination
therapy studies this year."
Tarvacin Anti-Viral has shown promise in preclinical studies in a variety of
anti-viral and biodefense applications. Anti-PS agents attach to phospholipids
found on the surface of virus particles, including HCV, influenza and other
virus strains, as well as on the outer surface of human host cells infected with
these viruses. Anti-PS immunotherapeutics are believed to work by helping
stimulate the body's natural immune defenses to destroy both virus particles and
infected cells. The targeted phospholipids are not exposed on healthy cells,
which are therefore not affected by anti-PS agents. Since the targeted
phospholipids are derived from the host rather than from the virus itself,
anti-PS immunotherapeutics are expected to have broad activity against a variety
of virus strains and to be less subject to the development of anti-viral drug
resistance.
"Tarvacin represents a completely new approach to treating HCV infections, and
these initial positive safety data are promising," said Dr. Eliot W. Godofsky,
principal investigator of the Phase l study. "While there are a number of new
HCV drugs in development, Tarvacin's unique mechanism has the potential to
combat the virus in a novel way. In addition, it's potential for use in
combination regimens to control and ultimately cure HCV warrants further
investigation."
Single administration of anti-viral agents is not generally expected to have a
significant effect on HCV viral titers as a result of rapid virus production and
turnover. However viral titer data are being collected as part of the Tarvacin
study design and are currently being analyzed. These data will be discussed in
an appropriate future scientific forum along with final safety data from the
Phase I trial.
Based on the good safety observed in the highest dose of Tarvacin tested,
Peregrine may assess one additional dose level by adding another cohort to the
existing HCV study through a protocol amendment. This addition is not expected
to affect the timing of the new studies now being planned.
Similar to their anti-viral mechanism, anti-PS immunotherapeutics also bind to
phospholipids exposed on tumor blood vessels in all solid cancers tested to
date, and they have shown promise in a number of preclinical cancer models.
Tarvacin Anti-Cancer is in Phase l clinical trials for the treatment of advanced
refractory solid tumor cancers.
About Peregrine
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio
of innovative product candidates in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer
and viral diseases. The company is pursuing three separate clinical trials in
cancer and anti-viral indications with its lead product candidates Tarvacin(TM)
and Cotara(R). Peregrine also has in-house manufacturing capabilities through
its wholly owned subsidiary Avid Bioservices, Inc. ( http://www.avidbio.com ),
which provides development and bio-manufacturing services for both Peregrine and
outside customers. Additional information about Peregrine can be found at
http://www.peregrineinc.com.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=38469&nfid=rssfeeds

UT Southwestern to Participate in National Trial of Popular European Drug for
Anxiety Disorder
Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
12/05/2002
Heart pumping, adrenaline rushing, feeling out-of-control - people who suffer
from generalized anxiety disorder experience these sensations chronically and
unpredictably, leaving them helpless to carry on with their daily life.
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas psychiatry researchers are hoping a
popular drug used to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in Europe will
prove to be equally effective in U.S. clinical trials, providing anxiety
sufferers with an alternative to current treatments, which carry serious side
effects and are sometimes addictive.
Dr. Harold Urschel III, clinical associate professor of psychiatry, is part of a
20-center national trial launched by the Pharmacia Corp. to evaluate whether
deramciclane, an antidepressant heavily prescribed for GAD in Europe for the
past five years, is a safe and effective option for patients with the disorder.
"We have treatments now for generalized anxiety disorder, but we need new ones
for our patients - treatments that work better and with fewer side effects and
aren't addictive like some of the older medications," Urschel said.
Anxiety can be so severe that 4 percent to 7 percent of the population of
industrialized countries is crippled by GAD at any given time. Thinking,
behavior and psychological responses are affected by the illness. Yet the
medications approved to treat GAD in the United States are less than
satisfactory, he said.
The study will compare the antidepressant deramciclane, a new type of serotonin
re-uptake inhibitor, with buspirone (BuSpar), a Food and Drug
Administration-approved antidepressant that also works on serotonin brain
receptors. GAD is not associated with accompanying psychiatric features such as
panic disorder, major depression or psychotic episodes, Urschel said.
The 12-week, double-blind study will compare daily treatments of 30 milligrams
of deramciclane, 60 mg of deramciclane, 30 mg of buspirone and a placebo. The
900 treatment volunteers will be divided into four groups, each receiving one of
the treatments. The study will also look at the effects of drug withdrawal.
Trial participants must be at least 18 years old and diagnosed with generalized
anxiety disorder. Volunteers may not have another psychiatric disorder or
disease with features that might compromise the study findings. Women of
childbearing age must be on contraception and must not be pregnant or
breastfeeding. Participants will be given a year's supply of the new drug
following completion of the study. For further information about participating,
please call 214-879-6551.
http://www.acurian.com/patient/content/detail.jsp?id=0900744b8002059f&cd=FEATURE\
&camp=mlnewshtml
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Shalom and welcome to HepCingles2 Bruce/David........ nice to have you here!
Sorry it took so long to get back to you........ I hope that you find alot
of info and friendships on the site and who knows........ maybe a single mom
in northern Israel will pop onto the list too ;-) Take care of yourself!
Peace and Love,
Pam
"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through
snow." - Jeff Valdez

Marijuana's Distant Relative May Be the Next Prozac
Source: University of California - Irvine
12/03/2002
Man-made chemicals that are distant relatives of marijuana may eventually become
new drugs to combat anxiety and depression, according to a UC Irvine College of
Medicine study. The study is the first to show how anxiety is controlled by the
body's anandamide system, a network of natural compounds known for their roles
in governing pain, mood and other psychological functions.
While marijuana relieves anxiety by working on the same system, laboratory rats
given the new drugs don't seem to suffer the side effects produced by THC,
marijuana's active ingredient. The study appears on Nature Medicine's Web site
and will be published in the January 2003 issue.
After designing and testing a number of different chemicals, pharmacology
professor Daniele Piomelli and his team found two, called URB532 and URB597,
which relieved anxiety and worked in ways far gentler than THC.
"THC reduces anxiety by binding directly to receptors in the brain and resulting
in its familiar 'high' sensation," Piomelli said. "This reaction is too strong,
creating marijuana's side effects."
URB532 and URB597, on the other hand, inhibit the activity of an enzyme that
breaks apart natural anandamide, leaving more of the neurotransmitter to help
reduce anxiety and depression. This is similar to the way Prozac works on
serotonin, another natural anti-depressant neurotransmitter. With this gentler
biochemical approach, URB532 and URB597 were able to keep brain anandamide
levels high for many hours after a single dose without producing visible side
effects.
"While the study's results are promising, the road from laboratory discovery to
available medication is years long, often winding, and definitely expensive,"
Piomelli said. "In fact, most drugs never make it beyond the discovery stage,
for a number of scientific and commercial reasons. But nearly all drugs on the
market today saw their start at the laboratory discovery phase."
http://www.acurian.com/patient/content/detail.jsp?id=0900744b8002012c&cd=FEATURE\
&camp=mlnewshtml
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it was for life insurance mykal......... he got life insurance back after he
stayed undetectable for over 3 years..... i will ask him at the next meeting
(the 17th) which company it was ;-) Have fun fishing........ i LOVE trout
;-)
Peace and Love,
Pam
"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through
snow." - Jeff Valdez

Well admitting to stupid tick stories........ I had a friend and his fiancee
bring crabs into my house and knew absolutely nothing about them..........
upon finding out that I needed to take the bed linens and wash the in
steaming hot water I got to see one up close and personal........... well
they looked like ticks to me so I panicked and called my vet to find out if
the little critters could get on my dogs and cats and if so could they then
be passed back to me.......... well I could hear the vet laughing his #$%
off at the question. I turned bright red on the other end of the phone and
always had trouble taking my dog in and looking him straight in the face
again LOL I guess we all live and learn and some of us just learn
things in odder ways than others ROFLOL
Peace and Love,
Pam
"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through
snow." - Jeff Valdez

that is why it is so important to find out from people like you Bill who are
actually *living* the experience. The three years is something I heard
from a transplant listee...... not someone who has already gone through the
process. Thank you for sharing your info ;-)
Peace and Love,
Pam
"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through
snow." - Jeff Valdez

Hey Bill,
Maybe you can help Michael more with his problem. Like he said,
though it is federal regulated, they allocate to each state their
desision on what to do with the money. Did not make sence to me
either. But Arkansas just does not seem to be the place for a
transplant or HepC!! I get into allot of this political BS and you
get allot of runaround. I always think when there is a will there is
a way, but Arkansas has truly been trying my patience and I really
don't have that much!! LOL But glad to hear that you went to living
a normal life. That is always good news!!........Dana in PA

Larry,
We have deer crossing signs here, but don't think them there deer
care! LOL They just stand in the middle of the street and look at
you like "I dare you to hit me and have all that damage to that
vehicle you are driving!!" And when you listen to the people tell
their stories about how they got the damage to the vehicle, "The deer
always hit them", LMAO, not the other way around! Guess it is
payback for taking their land!! I can't even train my own dogs, more
or less them Big Dogs (Deer) out their! My animals just let me live
here if I am nice to them! Tehee! Have a great day! Oh, and they
don't take them deer away, just pull them off the road for other
animals to eat!................Dana in PA , Waiting for all the great
stories people have! Maybe I will wright a book on heppers and their
dumb stories. Now you guys know mine are all copy writed and you
can't take them, eh???

What's up
Hope the fishing trip turned out to be good, if you need anything mounted let
me know, I know a great taxidermist, when he mounted a large fish for me he
did such a great job that you could hardly see the bullet hole?
Alrighty then
And yes you can tell me-but I think it would be anatomically impossible for
me to do so.
Larry

Hello Dana
That was a good one about them there big dogs jumping over the car, over here
on the way to work I see some deer off to the side of the road just hangin
out, then I got to thinking how come they don't put up deer crossing signs,
So I came to the conclusion that usually when I do see the deer they are
always on the same side of the road and that if they put up the sign it would
no doubt make them want to get to the other side and then cause them to get
run over, but that would also lead to the other problem of how to train them
to cross at the sign like they do everywhere else and of course how to make
the sign bilingual so the deer that are here illegally would also have the
same rights.
Larry
P. S. How do you get the job for the conservation dept. training the deer to
cross at the sign, it no doubt pays well like most govt. jobs and probably
better than some because of the hazard involved of you possibly being the one
getting struck by the car while on the job.

Michael,
Quiver?? Hmm! May be a little more than a quiver! Oh no! Don't
tell anyone! LOL Well, I forgot anyways!
Does this mean I am out of your will again?? LMAO Me, moving to
Arkansas?? Hmmm! Well, I could leave all that stuff I have
collected and never did anything with! That's one way of house
cleaning! LOL But my dogs are to big for your place and I would
have buy a different place, and you have all kinds of creatures, but
do get along with your politicians better than you, but what if I
need a transplant? Oh.........your making me think too much!!
LMAO.............hugs.......Dana

out...Now YOUR last quiver is another thing entirely ( I aint talking
about a place to carry your arrows either ) LOL The weather up there
is not to good for hitchiking either it looks like, so you will have
to hang on prolly till spring at the least. OR take a winter time
move to Arkansas, the winters are better than the summers here anyway
LOL Love...Mykal

Clinical Trial Patients Often Kept in the Dark
Fri Dec 6, 1:29 PM ET
By Stephen Pincock
LONDON (Reuters Health) - Many people who take part in clinical trials never
find out whether they were treated with the new medication being studied or just
a dummy drug, according to researchers who say scientists should treat patients
more like participants than subjects.
In certain clinical trials, researchers give some patients the experimental
treatment and some an inactive placebo--but make sure that neither the patients
nor the doctors themselves know who is given which. This is an important
technique employed to avoid bias in interpreting results and to establish just
how well the drug really works.
To see whether investigators told the participants what they had been given at
the end of the study, doctoral student Zelda Di Blasi and colleagues from the
University of York, UK, surveyed 107 scientists who had conducted these
"placebo-controlled, randomized" trials.
"Participants have less than a 50% chance of being informed of their treatment
allocation to placebo at the end of a trial," they report in the British Medical
Journal. Overall, 55% of the researchers said they didn't tell any of their
patients, or only told those who specifically asked.
The main reasons for not informing participants were that the investigators
never considered this option or that they wanted to avoid biasing results during
the follow-up of patients after the study.
"Patients need to be treated as participants, rather than subjects, by
increasing their involvement in the trial process," Di Blasi's team writes.
Getting patients more involved improves the quality of studies in important
ways, they point out.
However, they add, there's a chance that telling people they were given a
placebo could have detrimental effects. In some patients it could disrupt the
"placebo effect" in which patients given the dummy drug actually begin to feel
better, the researchers explain.
Considering how much the research community has focused on whether it is ethical
to give people placebo, the issue of telling patients at the end of the study
has received scant attention, Di Blasi and colleagues said. They suggest that
the area deserves more research.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2002;325:1329-1332.
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Wait I want to go too!!
Some people have all the fun. Can't go ice fishing yet, only 1/2
inch of ice here.

Hey everybody I will be gone for bout 3 or 4 days trout fishing...see ya...Mykal

Damn woman how do you get MY senetor to send you that kind of stuff when she
wont send me anything after I voted for her &#$^*@$! All I can say is BLANCH!
you are losing my vote LOL Thank you Dana you have helped me so much I may have
to put you in my will. Want my plastic music? I have a really good selection,my
guitar gos to my daughter, my Bass guitar goes to my son, I got enough tie dyes
to start a small shop! Want my....well nevermind that, you may get that before I
kick off! LMFAO...Mykal

Wow even orders of protection include no phone calls or E-mailing.
An E-mail can get you 30 days in jail. Gary

Dear John O,
I hate to tell you such a very sad story, but, if I listened to my
father, well, he did time for many things, but the last was a plead
out to Manslaughter. And well, he left that body on his front door
steps for 3 days before the post man found him! And of course, my
darling brother always, listened and wanted love from my father, and
he has been in and out of prison and rehabs all his life and is now
in prison again, probably for life.......So, knowing that, my mother
did not always have the "greatest of advice", but, in my case, MOMMY
KNOWS BEST!!! LOL hugs ((()))...)))(((........Dana in PA
--- In HepCingles2@y..., ostra17@a... wrote:
Hey Dana, hello :) and btw by the way.....it is Father Knows
Best.
:)
(()) ))(( johnnyo

Pam,
It feels good to hear people remembering old times like hepman. Reez has been
real sick, in the hospital and yellow as a lemon. He is slowly rejoining the
land of the living but is still sleeping lots. He will be happy you are thinking
of him cause he thinks very highly of your activism. Love ya Tricia
Also anyone perverted enough to love hepman (me) is definitely nuts. I remember
the first time I heard the music and read hepman I gave up some of the negative
and realized there are some funny lessons in this hep mess.

Larry,
Hate to be the one to say this, but I have many, many stupid
stories!! LOL So many I have been told to write a book! When I
first moved to Jersey from TX, (Now in PA), I was driving home from
work one Saturday evening with my daughter! Overtime and she would
come to help me! Well, I always took that back road senic root.
Winding road hills all the trees and nature you could see! Well we
were just driving along and, .....All of a Sudden, The Biggist Damn
Dog I had ever seen jumped right over my car!! My daughter and I
were totally shocked over that big damn dog and what the hell they
fed it. We got to my apartment and the neighbor guys were sitting
out in the parking lot drinking a few beers. So I went over and was
telling them about this BIG DAMN DOG that jumped over my car. I
could not figure out why they were laughing so
hard.............Finally, one of them looked at me and said, "Dana,
did ya ever think that might of been a deer?" Now how the heck was I
to know that deer jumped over cars in Jersey! The did not in Dallas,
TX!!! LOL Now that is just one of my many stories of what a total
idiot I made of myself! Have them all stored up for that book
of "Worlds record Idiot!" LMAO......Okay Sorry for the language on
this site, but, not as funny without it! LOL.............Dana in PA
--- In HepCingles2@y..., lsmusk3352@a... wrote:
About them their ticks
OK Im the needle dick bug fucker who gave it to the tick. So? But
seriously The first encounter I ever had with tick was after a
fishing trip, I was takin a shower and pulled the little bastard off
my ass and having no idea what a tick was /freaked out thinking I had
crabs until I brought it down to work and asked my boss what he
thought it was, he about fell out of the chair laughing when I told
him what i thought it was, needless to say he straightened me out on
matter along with many of the other tickologists that worked
there,Didnt even realize we had so many, needless to say it was than
said that my brain would probably roll around inside of an ants head
and many other comments as well. Yeah I took a beating for that one,
but at least I know what a tick is. Now I just know I couldn't be
the only one with a stupid story.
Next!!!!!

Hey Micheal,
Your Senator sent me these: UAMS in Little Rock 1-800-942-8267 or
501-686-7911, work on sliding scale or no money.
www.liverfoundation.org/
or call ALF 1-800-GO-Liver
www.bidmc.harvard.edu/surgery/general/indexHepatobiliarySurgery.html
www.cancerlinks.com/liver.html
www.needymeds.com
Hmm! Hope that helps! Hugs..........Dana

Here are some abstracts I copied along the way a couple of years ago:
Note; 'SAM-e' is; ' S-adenosylmethionine' also called AdoMet
==========================================
Abnormal hepatic methionine and glutathione metabolism in patients
with alcoholic hepatitis.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2004 Jan;28(1):173-81 (ISSN: 0145-6008)
Lee TD; Sadda MR; Mendler MH; Bottiglieri T; Kanel G; Mato JM; Lu SC
Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, University of
Southern California Liver Disease Research Center, University of
Southern California/University of California, USA.
BACKGROUND: Abnormal methionine metabolism occurs in animals fed
ethanol and in end-stage cirrhotic patients. Expected consequences of
these abnormalities include reduced hepatic S-adenosylmethionine and
glutathione (GSH) levels, impaired transmethylation, and reduced
homocysteine catabolism, resulting in the often-observed
hyperhomocystinemia in cirrhotic patients. These parameters have not
been examined simultaneously in patients with less advanced alcoholic
liver disease.
METHODS: Six patients hospitalized for alcoholic hepatitis were
studied. Plasma was analyzed for homocysteine, methionine, and GSH
levels. Liver biopsies diagnosed acute alcoholic hepatitis and
underlying fibrosis. Liver specimens were processed for messenger RNA
(mRNA) levels and various metabolites and were compared with those of
six normal controls.
RESULTS: Three patients had cirrhosis, and three had only portal
fibrosis. Plasma levels of homocysteine and methionine were increased
in two of the three patients with cirrhosis but not in the patients
with fibrosis. All patients had markedly lower plasma GSH levels
(mean +/- SD: 0.27 +/- 0.19 microM, which is at least 10-fold lower
than the normal range). Hepatic S-adenosylmethionine levels were
reduced by 50%, whereas methionine, GSH, and cysteine levels were
reduced by 70-80%. The mRNA levels of most enzymes involved in
methionine metabolism and GSH synthesis were decreased, whereas
albumin expression was unchanged. Despite the well known induction of
cytochrome P450 2E1 in chronic alcoholics, its mRNA levels were
nearly 70% lower in these patients.
CONCLUSIONS: In alcoholic hepatitis, abnormal hepatic gene expression
in methionine and GSH metabolism occurs and often contributes to
decreased hepatic methionine, S-adenosylmethionine, cysteine, and GSH
levels. It may be important to replenish these thiols in patients
hospitalized with alcoholic hepatitis.
===========================
S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase degradation by the 26 S proteasome
is accelerated by substrate-mediated transamination.
J Biol Chem 2004 Mar 26;279(13):12469-78 (ISSN: 0021-9258)
Yerlikaya A; Stanley BA
Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, The Pennsylvania
State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey,
PA 17033, USA.
The short-lived enzyme S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase uses a
covalently bound pyruvoyl cofactor to catalyze the formation of
decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine, which then donates an
aminopropyl group for polyamine biosynthesis. Here we demonstrate
that S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase is ubiquitinated and degraded
by the 26 S proteasome in vivo, a process that is accelerated by
inactivation of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase by substrate-
mediated transamination of its pyruvoyl cofactor. Proteasome
inhibition in COS-7 cells prevents the degradation of S-
adenosylmethionine decarboxylase antigen; however, even brief
inhibition of the 26 S proteasome caused substantial losses of S-
adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activity despite accumulation of S-
adenosylmethionine decarboxylase antigen. Levels of the enzyme's
substrate (S-adenosylmethionine) increased rapidly after 26 S
proteasome inhibition, and this increase in substrate level is
consistent with the observed loss of activity arising from an
increased rate of inactivation by substrate-mediated transamination.
Evidence is also presented that this substrate-mediated
transamination accelerates normal degradation of S-adenosylmethionine
decarboxylase, as the rate of degradation of the enzyme was increased
in the presence of AbeAdo (5'-([(Z)-4-amino-2-butenyl]methylamino]-5'-
deoxyadenosine) (a substrate analogue that transaminates the enzyme);
conversely, when the intracellular substrate level was reduced by
methionine deprivation, the rate of degradation of the enzyme was
decreased. Ubiquitination of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase is
demonstrated by isolation of His-tagged AdoMetDC (S-
adenosylmethionine decarboxylase) from COS-7 cells co-transfected
with hemagglutinin-tagged ubiquitin and showing bands that were
immunoreactive to both anti-AdoMetDC antibody and anti-hemagglutinin
antibody. This is the first study to demonstrate that AdoMetDC is
ubiquitinated and degraded by the 26 S proteasome, and substrate-
mediated acceleration of degradation is a unique finding.
=================================
S-Adenosyl-L-methionine and alcoholic liver disease in animal models:
implications for early intervention in human beings.
Alcohol 2002 Jul;27(3):173-7 (ISSN: 0741-8329)
Lieber CS
Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center, NY 10468, USA.
LIEBERCS@....
In patients with severe alcoholic liver disease (i.e., cirrhosis), a
deficiency of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) develops as a result of
decreased SAMe synthetase activity. Whether a sizeable SAMe depletion
occurs already at earlier stages of alcoholic liver disease has been
the subject of debate. To address this issue, rats were fed alcohol
(or isocaloric carbohydrate) in Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets
containing adequate amounts of protein, vitamins, and lipotropic
factors, including methionine. Alcohol feeding resulted in hepatic
steatosis (without fibrosis) and unchanged SAMe synthetase activity,
yet SAMe concentration was already greatly decreased. This most
likely resulted from oxidative stress associated with the metabolism
of alcohol and the induction of cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1), which
generates free radicals. Indeed, the decrease in hepatic SAMe
correlated with parameters of oxidative stress, such as increased 4-
hydroxynonenal (measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) and
diminished glutathione (GSH). Decreased GSH, occurring as a result of
excessive GSH consumption caused by the oxidative stress, probably
generated by enhanced utilization of SAMe, a precursor of GSH,
thereby explaining the depletion of SAMe. In view of the known
differences between rodents and primates in the metabolism of
lipotropes, my colleagues and I have also studied the interaction
between alcohol and SAMe in baboons and found again that, at early
stages preceding the development of cirrhosis, there was already a
significant lowering of hepatic SAMe concentration, associated with a
striking oxidative stress documented by decreased levels and
accelerated turnover of GSH. This was associated with increased lipid
peroxidation and damage to cellular membranes, including those of the
mitochondria, assessed by electron microscopy. Oral administration of
SAMe resulted in its hepatic repletion with a corresponding
attenuation of the ethanol-induced oxidative stress and liver injury,
with significantly less GSH depletion, less increases in plasma
aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, less leakage of
mitochondrial glutamic dehydrogenase into the plasma, and fewer
megamitochondria. In conclusion, (1) both in rodents and in non-human
primates, significant SAMe depletion occurs already at early stages
of alcoholic liver disease, despite the consumption of adequate
diets; (2) the decreased hepatic SAMe concentration and the
associated liver lesions, including mitochondrial injury, can be
corrected with SAMe supplementation; and (3) accordingly, therapeutic
administration of SAMe should be the subject of a comprehensive
clinical trial to assess its capacity to attenuate early stages of
alcoholic liver injury in human beings.
===========================================
J Hepatol 1999 Jun;30(6):1081-9 (ISSN: 0168-8278)
Mato JM; Camara J; Fernandez de Paz J; Caballeria L; Coll S;
Caballero A; Garcia-Buey L; Beltran J; Benita V; Caballeria J; Sola
R; Moreno-Otero R; Barrao F; Martin-Duce A; Correa JA; Pares A;
Barrao E; Garcia-Magaz I; Puerta JL; Moreno J; Boissard G; Ortiz P;
Rodes J
Department of Medicine, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
jmmato@....
BACKGROUND/AIM: The efficacy of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) in the
treatment of liver cell injury has been demonstrated in several
experimental models. The aim of this study was to investigate the
effects of AdoMet treatment in human alcoholic liver cirrhosis.
METHODS: A randomized, double-blind trial was performed in 123
patients treated with AdoMet (1200 mg/day, orally) or placebo for 2
years. All patients had alcoholic cirrhosis, and histologic
confirmation of the diagnosis was available in 84% of the cases.
Seventy-five patients were in Child class A, 40 in class B, and 8 in
class C. Sixty-two patients received AdoMet and 61 received placebo.
RESULTS: At inclusion into the trial no significant differences were
observed between the two groups with respect to sex, age, previous
episodes of major complications of cirrhosis, Child classification
and liver function tests. The overall mortality/liver transplantation
at the end of the trial decreased from 30% in the placebo group to
16% in the AdoMet group, although the difference was not
statistically significant (p = 0.077). When patients in Child C class
were excluded from the analysis, the overall mortality/liver
transplantation was significantly greater in the placebo group than
in the AdoMet group (29% vs. 12%, p = 0.025), and differences between
the two groups in the 2-year survival curves (defined as the time to
death or liver transplantation) were also statistically significant
(p = 0.046).
CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that long-term treatment
with AdoMet may improve survival or delay liver transplantation in
patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, especially in those with
less advanced liver disease
==============================================
Importance of a deficiency in S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthesis in
the pathogenesis of liver injury.
Am J Clin Nutr 2002 Nov;76(5):1177S-82S (ISSN: 0002-9165)
Martinez-Chantar ML; Garcia-Trevijano ER; Latasa MU; Perez-Mato I;
Sanchez del Pino MM; Corrales FJ; Avila MA; Mato JM
Division of Hepatology and Gene Therapy, School of Medicine,
University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
One of the features of liver cirrhosis is an abnormal metabolism of
methionine--a characteristic that was described more than a half a
century ago. Thus, after an oral load of methionine, the rate of
clearance of this amino acid from the blood is markedly impaired in
cirrhotic patients compared with that in control subjects. Almost 15
y ago we observed that the failure to metabolize methionine in
cirrhosis was due to an abnormally low activity of the enzyme
methionine adenosyltransferase (EC 2.5.1.6). This enzyme converts
methionine, in the presence of ATP, to S-adenosyl-L-methionine
(SAMe), the main biological methyl donor. Since then, it has been
suspected that a deficiency in hepatic SAMe may contribute to the
pathogenesis of the liver in cirrhosis. The studies reviewed here are
consistent with this hypothesis.
=============================================
S-Adenosylmethionine revisited: its essential role in the regulation
of liver function.
Alcohol 2002 Jul;27(3):163-7 (ISSN: 0741-8329)
Avila MA; Garcia-Trevijano ER; Martinez-Chantar ML; Latasa MU; Perez-
Mato I; Martinez-Cruz LA; del Pino MM; Corrales FJ; Mato JM
Division of Hepatology and Gene Therapy, School of Medicine,
University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
Dietary methionine is mainly metabolized in the liver where it is
converted into S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), the main biologic
methyl donor. This reaction is catalyzed by methionine
adenosyltransferase I/III (MAT I/III), the product of MAT1A gene,
which is exclusively expressed in this organ. It was first observed
that serum methionine levels were elevated in experimental models of
liver damage and in liver cirrhosis in human beings. Results of
further studies showed that this pathological alteration was due to
reduced MAT1A gene expression and MAT I/III enzyme inactivation
associated with liver injury. Synthesis of AdoMet is essential to all
cells in the organism, but it is in the liver where most of the
methylation reactions take place. The central role played by AdoMet
in cellular function, together with the observation that AdoMet
administration reduces liver damage caused by different agents and
improves survival of alcohol-dependent patients with cirrhosis, led
us to propose that alterations in methionine metabolism could play a
role in the onset of liver disease and not just be a consequence of
it. In the present work, we review the recent findings that support
this hypothesis and highlight the mechanisms behind the
hepatoprotective role of AdoMet.
============================================
Remethylation and transsulfuration of methionine in cirrhosis:
studies with L-[H3-methyl-1-C]methionine.
Hepatology 2002 Nov;36(5):1190-6 (ISSN: 0270-9139)
Russmann S; Junker E; Lauterburg BH
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Disturbances of the methionine cycle may result in liver injury.
Patients with alcohol-induced liver disease often exhibit
hypermethioninemia and a delayed clearance (CL) of methionine, but
the extent to which transsulfuration and remethylation pathways of
the cyclic methionine metabolism are affected is unknown. Methionine
turnover was determined in 7 healthy volunteers and 6 patients with
alcohol-induced cirrhosis after oral administration of 2 mg/kg [(2)H
(3)-methyl-1-(13)C]methionine, which permitted us to follow
transsulfuration by its decarboxylation to (13)CO(2) and
remethylation by replacement of the labeled methyl group by an
unlabeled one. Basal plasma concentrations of endogenous methionine
(50 +/- 5 vs. 25 +/- 2 micromol/L, mean +/- SEM, P <.001) were
significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis and its CL was
significantly decreased (774 +/- 103 vs. 2,050 +/- 141 mL/min, P
<.001). Methionine turnover amounted to 42 +/- 4 vs. 27 +/- 3
micromol/kg/h (P <.05) in controls and patients with cirrhosis,
respectively. The fraction of administered methionine undergoing
remethylation was lower in patients with cirrhosis (7.6 +/- 1.5 vs.
14.1 +/- 1.1%, P <.005). However, because of the larger pool of
circulating methionine, the total flux of methionine through the
remethylation pathway was similar in both groups. A significantly
lower fraction of the administered dose appeared in the form of (13)CO
(2) in breath in patients with cirrhosis (2.2 +/- 0.4 vs. 11.0 +/-
0.8%, P <.001).
In conclusion, the data indicate that the liver with cirrhosis
compensates for a decreased activity of remethylating enzymes by
operating at higher concentrations of methionine. In contrast,
transsulfuration is impaired in patients with alcohol-induced
cirrhosis such that an assessment of tran
=============================
S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) modulates endotoxin stimulated
interleukin-10 production in monocytes.
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2003 Jun;284(6):G949-55
(ISSN: 0193-1857)
Song Z; Barve S; Chen T; Nelson W; Uriarte S; Hill D; McClain C
Department of Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine
and Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Louisville,
Kentucky 40292, USA.
IL-10 is produced by a large variety of cells including monocytes,
macrophages, B and T lymphocytes, as well as natural killer cells and
is an important suppressor for both immunoproliferative and
inflammatory responses. IL-10 exerts antifibrotic effects in the
liver, and decreased monocyte synthesis of IL-10 is well documented
in alcoholic cirrhosis. Intracellular deficiency of S-
adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) is a hallmark of toxin-induced liver
injury. Although the administration of exogenous AdoMet attenuates
this injury, the mechanisms of its actions are not fully established.
This study was performed to investigate the effect of exogenous
AdoMet on IL-10 production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, a
murine macrophage cell line. Our results demonstrated that exogenous
AdoMet administration enhanced both protein production and gene
expression of IL-10 in RAW 264.7 cells. Ethionine, an inhibitor for
methionine adenosyltransferases, inhibited LPS-stimulated IL-10 both
at the protein and mRNA levels. Exogenous AdoMet increased the
intracellular cAMP concentration as early as 3 h and continued for 24
h after AdoMet treatment; however, the inhibitors for both adenylyl
cyclase and PKA did not significantly affect IL-10 production. On the
basis of these results, we conclude that AdoMet administration may
exert its anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects, at least in
part, by enhancing LPS-stimulated IL-10 production.

Thanks Pam, I greatly appreciate any help I can get in this area!

hey there Mykal and all........ I have also heard that Medicare only covers
the first three years of antirejection meds........I don't know if they
figure you will be well enough after that to get a job and your own
insurance or if you just won't be around to care........ kind of an
arbitrary number......and a ridiculous rule. I also heard that one of the
meds is NOT covered by Medicare at all but I will have to get back to you
with more specifics. My friend on the transplant list at Emory has Medicare
but she also reports that the transplant team helped her find ways to get
the antirejects once she is transplanted. Have you talked to the team
Mykal? For instance, here is a link she gave me for Georgia transplant
patients........ http://www.mapuga.com/
I am sure if you do a google search for your state they will have something
similar......... http://www.gatransplant.org/index2.htm
is another one for georgia......... and here is one for tennessee but I am
sure there are others
http://www.utmem.edu/transplant/nationalfoundation.htm
anyway, everyone has always told me where there is a will there is a way so
don't give up Mykal........ just keep on searching!! :-) Good luck! BTW
My friend has also talked with her church (who has gotten donations) and has
done some fund raising benefits for herself......... do whatever it takes
;-) TTYL
Peace and Love,
Pam
"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through
snow." - Jeff Valdez

InterMune Promotes Dr. Brian Murphy to Vice President of Marketing And
Commercial Strategy, Hepatology
Thursday November 21, 4:05 pm ET
BRISBANE, Calif., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq:
ITMN - News) announced today that it has promoted Brian Murphy, M.D., to the
position of Vice President of Marketing and Commercial Strategy, Hepatology. In
this role, Dr. Murphy will provide strategic direction and management oversight
to the company's hepatology marketing group. His main focus will be to establish
InterMune as a leader in the hepatology marketplace, particularly in the areas
of chronic hepatitis C and hepatic fibrosis. He will report directly to David
Cory, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at InterMune.
"I am pleased and excited to have Dr. Murphy join the Infergen team," said Mr.
Cory. He brings a tremendous clinical and commercial background in hepatology
and experience that will help position InterMune as a leader in the treatment of
HCV."
Dr. Murphy joined InterMune in March 2002 as Director of Clinical Research for
Hepatology. Prior to joining InterMune, he served as U.S. Medical Director for
Interferons at Roche Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he was Director of the
Clinical Strategies Program for the St. Vincent's Catholic Healthcare Network of
New York and a practicing physician with a research focus on clinical
epidemiology. Dr. Murphy is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Medical
Society, as well as the New York Academy of Sciences. He has held academic
appointments at the Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health and
lectures at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
He earned his M.D. and M.S. in Pharmacology at New York Medical College and
served his residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Tufts-New
England Medical Center and Boston University, respectively. He completed joint
fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital with a
dual focus in clinical epidemiology and medicine. He received his MPH from the
Harvard School of Public Health and his MBA from Columbia University. Dr. Murphy
serves as a reviewer for a number of medical publications, including the Annals
of Internal Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine.
About InterMune
InterMune is a commercially driven biopharmaceutical company focused on the
marketing, development and applied research of life-saving therapies for
pulmonary disease, infectious disease and cancer. For additional information
about InterMune, please visit www.intermune.com.

Now this is scary Dana I just said this in my last post before I read it here in
yours, am I elegible for the famous last quiver here LOL, I may start hitchiking
tonight in your general direction heading straight for your....remote
area....the remotest of your areas LOL Mykal

About them their ticks
OK Im the needle dick bug fucker who gave it to the tick. So?
But seriously
The first encounter I ever had with tick was after a fishing trip, I was
takin a shower and pulled the little bastard off my ass and having no idea
what a tick was /freaked out thinking I had crabs until I brought it down to
work and asked my boss what he thought it was, he about fell out of the chair
laughing when I told him what i thought it was, needless to say he
straightened me out on matter along with many of the other tickologists that
worked there,Didnt even realize we had so many, needless to say it was than
said that my brain would probably roll around inside of an ants head and many
other comments as well.
Yeah I took a beating for that one,
but at least I know what a tick is.
Now I just know I couldn't be the only one with a stupid story.
Next!!!!!

Thats OK I once was counted as a failed ADD case Damn they said I just didnt
give a shit....they were right....I still don't...LOL Now I guess Im a failed
transplant hopeful cause the bush administration has decided NOT to help furnish
immunosupressant drugs anylonger to transplant patients it is not in the news
yet but that is what I was told by the University Hospital LOL I came in
crying but I Will go out laughing LOL...Mykal

Yes Dana remember that when I'm Spankin your wise (but smartmouthed) butt LOL
I may even let Kati help! LOLOLOLOL

Thats OK deanna you can call me Bill or George or ANYTHING but Sue...Lakym

Hey Dana, hello :) and btw by the way.....it is Father Knows Best.
:)
(()) ))(( johnnyo
In a message dated 12/05/2002 5:24:27 AM Pacific Standard Time,
spiria_spirit@... writes:

Hey Mark,
Please come out and post and let us know you are around! We did not
mean to frighten you with all this! Just some things to think
about. But we are here to talk and listen! As you can see, we share
all our stories and there is allot of support here! Hugs........Dana
in Pa

Mykal Dear,
There is nothing "SAFE" about you! LOL So don't ponder to hard!!
LMAO.............hugs........Dana (Mommy)
--- In HepCingles2@y..., "nevernilla" <Nevernilla@n...
Gee Mom Thanks...Safe sex? that is like with a padlock on my
britches...right? celibacy dont work for preists either Hmmmm Guess
I need to stay home with the doors locked, lights out, cable TV
disconnected,mouth taped shut,computer off, GAWDS what kind of a
life is that? SHIT now Ill have to get married again Hmmmm...zircon
encrusted.....condominiums it is too much to deal with...glad Im too
old to be sexy anymore LOL Lakym

Just remember John,
Mommy always knows best......or is it, she thinks she does? Hmm!
Well, listen to your mother anyways!! I wish I had of done that many
years ago! Funny how that sneaks up on you!!
..LMAO........((()))...)))(((............Dana in PA
--- In HepCingles2@y..., ostra17@a... wrote:
Mother Dana,
Thanks for lookin out after us kids. :)
(((( )))) ))))(((( johnnyo
In a message dated 12/03/2002 3:08:27 AM Pacific Standard Time,
spiria_spirit@y... writes:
Hey everyone!
I don't know about you guys, but the first thing my doc did was test
me for Hep A, B, C and HIV. Then immediately vaccinated me for hepA
and HepB! Feel lucky only had HepC though wish I had of had none!
If you have not been vaccinated, GO GET VACCINATED, AND HAVE SAFE
SEX, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS OUT THEIR!! LOL You mother, Dana in PA

Dear Del,
I am sitting here with my hair up in rollers and thought I would check
my mail while waiting to dry. I am getting ready to go in for an interview
for a position that I would really love to obtain, though it may be somewhat
out of my league - thus that never stopping me from trying.
I was always taught by "dear ole dad" - never give up or give in. Although
my Father is alive and at one time, we were the best of friends, I do not
speak to him; your letter made me think and I mean stop and think. I guess
sometimes maybe I do speak with him through prayer. I know that I pray
every night for the strength to forgive him for what he has done to hurt my
children and myself, but there are times that I miss his wisdom, thank
goodness, the TX didn't take all my memory... LOL
I must tell you - that I did NOT meet a fool, in fact I believe that I have
met a very good, decent, caring, compassionate man - who also, like myself,
stands strong in his beliefs. What part of that could be called a Fool?
Del, my beliefs in God and Jesus do go back in the way I was raised, but it
wasn't those years that made my faith strong - it was from my own mistakes,
heartaches, trials, falling down, stepping so far back in my faith that I
couldn't see no light at the end of the tunnel, ( so to speak ), hope this
is not confusing you?
It was through my hardships and helping so many in my life time - and when
it came time for "Lisa", and I needed a help, just someone to console me or
listen to me - where were all those that I helped. No where around. All I
had myself, the 4 walls and prayer. And that is exactly what I did, I
prayed, I cried, I begged, I pleaded, because you see I was at the end of my
rope, and didn't know where to turn, what to do - I just knew I couldn't
take anymore and I couldn't' do it alone. And I was so alone.
Long story short - through prayer - I found not only myself, but I found my
faith, I found love, I found compassion, even for those that were no longer
there for me, and I am still working on the forgiveness thing... LOL But I
think you get the drift.
I found God through Jesus - my personal savior.... It's never easy, and it
took me 40 years to do this, and much unneeded pain and preventable agony,
but I did. And I must tell - it is still work, and I fall down all the time
And I am so far from perfect - I just know that I am aware of everything I
think, say, and do, and how it will affect others. And the more aware that
I am, the better I treat others, and the more love I get in return.
I wished I could give you some sort of wisdom or insight so that you might
find that visible peace in this earth. I wished just for you that there
were these magic words that would help you right now in your time of trials.
But I don't have them sweetie - but I can tell you - that I am here, that I
am your friend, and I will always be here if you need me, even if it's just
and email or a phone call.
And when I brought up the "atheists" thing, I have to admit, I meant that
for "Mike", who has been so mean and cruel to me, and is still bashing me on
other groups that I have been a member of for years. I made him aware that
I was also a member of this group he had joined and called me an idiot and a
stupid witch, and how I made people want to puke with my bible thumping
religion. It just really saddens me so, that there are people out there
that carry that kind of anger and resentment around with them on a daily
basis. All that does it take away from our happiness when we walk around
angry all the time, and it also shows how we take this precious life God has
given us for granted.
You know, every time I start to feel sorry for myself or cheated in life, or
"why Me" - I always can think of a million others that have it so much worse
I think of the children and St Judes Hospital fighting for their lives -
the ones that will never see a prom, never have a date or a first kiss,
never know what it is like to fall in love or make love, marry, have
children.
Then I put my pity party aside, and say a prayer. Don't get me wrong, I
still have these pity parties, I just try to have less of them or shorten
them.
And people like Mike - appears he is in a state of "pity me" all the time,
and angry at the world.
So please know that the atheists comment was not meant for you My dear..
I was indeed defending what you were saying, when Mike and Eric attacked me.
Did I mention that even though I am strong in my beliefs, that can account
for my being stubborn too...... LOL
Well Del - your letter touched my heart, and I will think of you today. Yes
Del - God wanted you around for a reason, he has a grander plan for us all..
Keep in touch
May God Bless you and yours...
Till the next time
Lisa Marie

Michael,
Maybe they decided to count us "Failed Responders"! Wait, I was
a "Failed responder 3 times", hmm! Wonder if they put that in their
studies?? Something else to boggle your mind with along with the
ticks, fleas, misquitoes, deer and whatever else is out their to get
us!! LMAO..................Dana in PA

Michael,
This could be one of those things where someone who says, "Hey, I am
tired of treatment, test, politics, bull____, and just wanna go out
and have fun till I die", would maybe be a thought! LOL Hell, at
this point, with my life insurance, I am certainly worth more dead
than alive! Well.........in some respects! My puppies would really
miss me! They may get a new owner who actually punishes them and
tells them that this is their home and they are allowing them to live
here not the other way around! LMAO............Hugs! And (MY ROCKY),
Dana, yes Dana in PA.............ROTFLMAOTIWMP
--- In HepCingles2@y..., "nevernilla" <Nevernilla@n...
This article seems to denote that honest business practice may be in
fact a LARGE oxymoron, obviously a study was conducted to determin
cost effectiveness here. The republican america, aint it grand?

Hey Mykal
Let's hope that Mosquitoes and West Nile virus and hepC don't get
along together, of course it may solve the over population problem!
or malaria, it's always something and what about Dog fleas, I have
some dog flea bites from my dog. Should I kill the dog? He has been
like Family.lol

I do have to agree with you larry, trying to figure out how you got it is not
near as important as to how to take care of it. stressing on how you got it only
causes more stress and depression.......................good luck sheila
lsmusk3352@... wrote:Howdy
I know your poppin a couple of wires over this one, but it would be easier to
worry about cure and not cause, for that matter you could go out tomorrow and
get hit by a bread truck.
Hope that made you feel better
Larry

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:

Howdy
I know your poppin a couple of wires over this one, but it would be easier to
worry about cure and not cause, for that matter you could go out tomorrow and
get hit by a bread truck.
Hope that made you feel better
Larry

This article seems to denote that honest business practice may be in fact a
LARGE oxymoron, obviously a study was conducted to determin cost effectiveness
here. The republican america, aint it grand?

LOL I wonder about mosquitoes now the platelets are too big to fit INSIDE their
little needles but isnt there an outside too? Does it pay to be thick skinned?
Hey laura! does that mean this will never be a problem in N' Yok? Hmmmm Leaves
me ponderin on the ponderosa Wait thats not an arkyland thang...ponderin on
hell's half acre...Mykal

Del - this is the bashing I have gotten from Mike on the other group.

OH WOW I am so impressed they have 52% responding rate that is up from 50% 10
years ago

Chinese Physicians Believe That HCV Incidence May Be Increasing in China With
Blood Transfusion Thought to Be the Dominant HCV Transmission Route
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c33734) has
announced the addition of Hepatitis in China - Liver Let Die? to their offering.
Hepatitis is a major health problem in China, which is home to one third of
hepatitis B patients and one quarter of hepatitis C patients globally. HBV
vaccination, together with HBV and HCV screening have helped to reduce
transmission, but continued transmission from mother to child (for HBV) and
transmission via blood transfusions (HCV) means that HBV and HCV are likely to
remain a problem.
This report provides an analysis of the current dynamics of the Chinese
hepatitis market through primary research data from 176 physicians, supported by
key opinion leaders. It identifies drivers and resistors of the Chinese
hepatitis market, and how the Chinese healthcare system impacts these
market-shaping factors. The report also provides an examination of key hepatitis
drug regimens for hepatitis in China, and factors affecting prescription trends
underlying these regimens. An assessment of the differences between China and
the 7 major markets in terms of HBV and HCV transmission and diagnosis is
provided.
This physician research indicated that HBV incidence is decreasing in China. In
contrast to the seven major markets, where most patients acquire HBV sexually,
perinatal transmission is the dominant HBV transmission route, which impacts on
HBV disease progression and effectiveness of drug therapy.
Chinese physicians believe that HCV incidence may be increasing in China. Blood
transfusion is though to be the dominant HCV transmission route in China, while
in the seven major markets, HCV is mainly acquired through intravenous drug use.
Chinese physicians do not consider any HBV therapy a gold-standard, although
lamivudine is the most prescribed first-line therapy, while adefovir is the most
prescribed second-line therapy. While treatment choice is more limited for HCV,
the Chinese HCV market is highly fragmented, with treatment differing
significantly between regions.
Reasons to read this report:
-- Review the clinical and commercial factors shaping the uptake of hepatitis
products in China, and the opportunities and threats facing the market
-- Gain insight into HBV and HCV prevalence, transmission and co-infection in
China
-- Evaluate unmet needs in China's hepatitis market and capitalize on these
opportunities to develop commercial strategies to increase market penetration
Key topics covered:
-- Insight into the Chinese Hepatitis B & C market
-- Coverage of the Stakeholder Insight Survey
-- China: an overview
-- Etiology & epidemiology
-- Diagnosis rates and presentation
-- Treatment options
-- Valuing the Chinese hepatitis market: threats, drivers and the future
-- Opinion Leader Transcripts
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c33734
Source: Datamonitor
Source: Business Wire
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/408883/chinese_physicians_believe_that_hcv_i\
ncidence_may_be_increasing_in/index.html?source=r_health

I recently had the opportunity to speak at Hepatitis Magazine's annual
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While the broad range of treatment options, levels of care and individual
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fight the financial battle that can accompany serious illness. So, a viatical
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In fact, I am proud that we are one of the few firms with the experience and
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- You must already own an in-force life insurance policy (of any type)
- Any SIZE policy may qualify, but very, very small ones are harder to sell.
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- the funders who will actually buy your policy - want to invest in right now.
Still, even if we cannot match a policy with a buyer initially, it lets a
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- If someone proceeds with a viatical settlement, they can stop the process at
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Our case managers can talk to anyone who wants to consider selling their life
insurance policy and give him or her feedback on their individual circumstances.
In the meantime, we can send them - or you - one of our
informational fliers, "Six steps toward financial stability &
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For the Six Steps flier or for more information about Benefits America and the
potential of a viatical settlement, please contact one of our case managers:
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THANK YOU,
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Founder
Benefits America NA, Inc.
www.benefitsamerica.com
---
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FDA Approves Roche Hepatitis C Drug
Tue Dec 3,10:53 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites)
said on Tuesday it had approved Roche Holding AG's Pegasys drug in combination
with another anti-viral compound to treat hepatitis C, a potential blockbuster
product for the Swiss-based company.
Up to 4 million Americans are estimated to be infected with the hepatitis C
virus that slowly attacks the liver and sometimes kills.
An FDA advisory panel last month unanimously recommended approval of Pegasys in
combination with the antiviral drug ribavirin. The FDA normally follows the
recommendations of its advisory panels.
Pegasys is a once-a-week, long-acting, injectable version of the antiviral
protein interferon, and daily doses of Copegus, Roche's version of the ribavirin
pill.
The FDA in October gave Pegays clearance as a stand-alone treatment for
hepatitis C but approval for the combination is seen as crucial for Roche to
compete with a similar combination therapy by Schering-Plough Corp.
Pegasys has already received European approval for use alone or in combination
with ribavirin.
"Today, Roche can proudly offer Americans with hepatitis C a new treatment
choice," Hoffmann Roche Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer George
Abercrombie said in a statement.
The drug is especially important for Roche which industry analysts says has a
relatively thin new-product pipeline.
Roche, which has climbed back into the ranks of the world's top 10 drugmakers by
acquiring Japan's Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. this year, is counting on
Pegasys and HIV (news - web sites) drug Fuzeon to help it generate double-digit
2003 drug sales growth.
Roche drugs division head William Burns told Reuters last month he expects sales
of its Pegasys drug combined with ribavirin to build slowly toward $1 billion a
year over three to five years once it wins U.S. approval.
Hepatitis C is biggest cause of liver transplants in the United States but the
disease develops slowly, often over 20 years, before symptoms of liver failure
emerge.
Schering-Plough's rival long-acting interferon, called Peg-Intron, is also given
weekly by injection, with patients also taking daily ribavirin pills.
Sales of Peg-Intron and Schering-Plough's brand of ribavirin more than doubled
to $703 million in the third quarter, making hepatitis C the company's biggest
business.
Patients flocked to Schering-Plough's dual therapy after it was launched in
October 2001 because it is more effective and causes fewer side effects than the
company's older treatment using an interferon that had to be taken three times a
week.
Schering-Plough's improved therapy is considered the "gold standard" of
treatment, with about 56 percent of patients taking it eliminating all traces of
hepatitis C after 48 weeks of medication.
With Roche's Pegasys combination, 50 percent of people having no detectable
virus in their blood six months after treatment concluded, Roche officials told
the FDA advisory panel last month. Using an older interferon, injected three
times a week, with ribavirin, only 42 percent of patients cleared the virus.
With Pegasys alone, the treatment was effective in 27 percent of patients.
Roche is also testing Pegasys against hepatitis B, a form of the disease that is
a large problem in Asia.

80 test positive for hepatitis virus, health officials say
2002-11-27
By Jim Killackey <mailto:jkillackey@...
The Oklahoman
NORMAN -- Eighty of 750 patients treated at a Norman Regional Hospital pain
management clinic have tested positive for hepatitis C, health officials said
Tuesday.
The virus outbreak apparently happened between mid-December and May, and
involved patients treated at the hospital by nurse anesthetist James Charles
Hill and anesthesiologist Dr. Jerry W. Lewis.
While the two practiced at the clinic between May 1999 and August, the shorter
time span is thought to be when patients were most at risk.
State epidemiologist Dr. Mike Crutcher said Tuesday that of the 80 patients who
tested positive for hepatitis C, "strong evidence" indicates 38 cases were
directly related to pain management injections. In 25 cases there was not enough
evidence to determine how the virus was acquired, he said.
"Strong evidence" suggests 17 patients might have unknowingly contracted the
disease elsewhere, Crutcher said.
Crutcher and David Whitaker, Norman Regional administrator, said blood
contamination at the pain clinic wasn't an isolated incident.
"It is happening more than I would have ever thought ... by highly trained
professionals," Crutcher said.
He said similar incidents occurred in Nebraska and New York.
Hill admitted re-using needles and syringes during as many as 25 procedures a
day.
Hill has been accused by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing of "regularly engaging in
the practice of re-using the same needle and syringe to inject anesthetic
medications such as Versed, Fentanyl and Propofol to patients through their
existing heparin locks" and intravenous lines.
Because a patient's blood can easily back up into intravenous- line portals,
nurses and doctors are supposed to use needles only once. Hepatitis C can be
transmitted through blood transmissions.
On Tuesday, Hill's attorney, Mike McMillin, said, "Mr. Hill is deeply regretful
that any patient of his has contracted hepatitis, and he wants to assure
everyone that he never intentionally placed any patient at risk of harm."
Hill worked with Lewis at Norman Regional in parts of four years -- 1999, 2000,
2001 and 2002.
Hill worked previously at Norman Regional without Lewis, but hospital officials
said Hill would not have been in a nursing situation or environment where he
could have endangered patients through blood contaminations.
The attorney for Lewis, John Hastie, said his client was completely unaware of
Hill's reuse of needles and syringes even though Lewis was assigned to supervise
Hill.
Hastie said Lewis accounted for his own needles and syringes used during pain
management procedures, but wasn't responsible for keeping track of needles and
syringes used by Hill.
Since Norman Regional suspended Lewis' staff privileges, Lewis has been
"absolutely devastated" by a drop in referral patients, Hastie said. Office
visits have decreased by 67 percent and referrals from other doctors have
dropped by 87 percent, Hastie said.
More than 50 malpractice and negligence lawsuits have been filed against Norman
Regional, Hill and Lewis.
During a Tuesday news conference at Norman Regional, the latest results were
released from the Health Department's investigation of patients exposed to the
hepatitis virus.
Of 840 patients treated by Hill and Lewis, 750 have been tested. Attempts are
being made to reach the others.
Another 150 people were provided "courtesy testing." Norman Regional offered to
test patients from two Oklahoma City pain management clinics where Hill and
Lewis practiced.
Hill has tested negative for hepatitis C. Public health officials have been
unable to determine which Norman Regional patient had hepatitis C and was
originally responsible for the blood-contamination dilemma.
Part of the investigative challenge, Crutcher said, was distinguishing between
those patients who may have contracted hepatitis C as the result of their pain
management injections and those patients who got the virus from some other blood
contamination.
It is estimated 2 percent or more of all Americans have the hepatitis C virus
and don't know it, Crutcher said.
Blood tests, records checks and other medical and personal data were used to
determine the strongest possible relationship between those patients treated by
Hill and Lewis and those who contracted the virus, Crutcher said.
About 75 percent of those with hepatitis C will have chronic medical problems
for some length of time, while 25 percent will pass the virus out through their
bodies.
Of those with chronic problems, many can be successfully treated with a
combination of the drugs Ribavirin and Interferon.
Dr. Ted Bader, a hematologist at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma
City, said cure rates range from 60 percent to as high as 80 percent.
With expectations for new and even-more-effective drugs in the next few years,
those cure rates could go higher, Bader said at the news conference.
Whitaker said, "The health and welfare of patients always has been Norman
Regional's first priority.
"From the beginning of this investigation, Norman Regional has taken the lead in
focusing on the identification of those patients who may have been exposed,
arranging testing of these patients, personally contacting patients with their
screening results and offering to provide immediate referral to experienced
physicians when needed," he said.
Whitaker said the hospital has become a resource for other hospitals and local,
regional and national health care organizations dealing with hepatitis C
problems.
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Ticks May Present Hepatitis C Danger to Humans
A new theory speculates that ticks could present a danger to peoplen when it
comes to spreading the hepatitis C virus, according to a report in Nov. 21st
issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
In a research letter to the journal, Dr. Ritchard Cable, medical director for
the American Red Cross Blood Services in Farmington, Conn., said an area woman
who became infected with the virus may have gotten it from a tick.
Cable said it is logical that ticks could be carriers of the virus because they
re-inject blood from a previously bitten person into their new victim.
Outside of a theory in the absence of any other plausible explanation
for why the woman contracted the disease, Cable said he has no actual
proof that ticks can infect people with the virus.
The woman, a health care worker and frequent blood donor, apparently has no
habits that would put her at high risk of developing hepatitis C. She gave blood
in 1999 that tested positive for a disease transmitted by ticks and five months
later developed hepatitis C.
Other sources: New England Journal of Medicine
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Schering-Plough Announces Peg-Intron(R) And Rebetol(R) Surpasses 150,000
Patients Treated Mark In United States
Monday December 2, 1:32 pm ET
Most Successful Product Introduction In Company History
KENILWORTH, NJ--(INTERNET WIRE)--Dec 2, 2002 -- Schering-Plough Corporation
(NYSE:SGP - News) today announced that the U.S. launch of PEG-INTRON(R)
(peginterferon alfa-2b) Powder for Injection and REBETOL(R) (ribavirin, USP)
Capsules combination therapy represents the most successful new product
introduction in the company's history, measured in terms of product sales. Since
its introduction in October 2001, more than 150,000 hepatitis C patients in the
United States have been treated with the combination therapy.
"As a result of the advances we have made in hepatitis C treatment in the last
10 years, we are providing a therapy that was effective in the majority (52
percent) of patients studied. We are extremely pleased with the rapid acceptance
by physicians and patients of PEG-INTRON and REBETOL combination therapy," said
Richard W. Zahn, president of Schering Laboratories. "We believe this
combination therapy has transformed the treatment of hepatitis C, providing
established therapeutic value to patients as well as economic value to the U.S.
health care system. The proven safety and efficacy of PEG-INTRON, along with its
convenient once-weekly dosing, has resulted in more U.S. patients starting
treatment in the past year than during any previous period."
An estimated 4 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV),
which contributes to approximately 8,000 to 10,000 deaths each year, according
to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This toll is expected to triple by the
year 2010. The CDC has reported that HCV-associated end-stage liver disease is
the most frequent indication for liver transplantation among adults. It is
predicted that direct U.S. medical costs to treat HCV-related disease will
exceed $13 billion for the years 2010 through 2019, according to a study
published in the American Journal of Public Health.
"Along with our extensive clinical development program involving U.S. studies,
the real-world treatment experience we've gained with PEG-INTRON and REBETOL in
U.S. patients allows physicians to prescribe this combination therapy with
confidence," said Robert J. Spiegel, M.D., senior vice president of medical
affairs and chief medical officer, Schering-Plough Research Institute. "This
deep knowledge base is especially significant given that U.S. patients often
have disease characteristics that make them a more difficult group to treat
successfully than patients in other countries."
American patients with hepatitis C have a higher incidence of genotype 1 virus,
which is the most difficult to treat, and typically are older, more cirrhotic
and generally have greater body weight, all factors known to negatively affect
treatment outcome.
"We designed the clinical study program for PEG-INTRON and REBETOL combination
therapy to be consistent with the demographics of the U.S. hepatitis C patient
population," Spiegel said. "You can't change a patient's viral genotype, age or
degree of cirrhosis, but one factor that a physician can address during
treatment is patient body weight, by adjusting dosing accordingly. This gives
physicians the flexibility to tailor the appropriate dose of PEG-INTRON to the
patient to remove the impact of patient weight on sustained virologic response
rates and help achieve consistent treatment outcomes."
PEG-INTRON is approved by FDA for dosing according to body weight, whether used
as monotherapy or in combination therapy with REBETOL for up to 48 weeks. Data
from a large, randomized, controlled clinical study, which served as the basis
for U.S. approval of PEG-INTRON and REBETOL combination therapy (Manns et al.,
Lancet 2001), demonstrated that once weekly administration of weight-based
PEG-INTRON (1.5 mcg/kg) in combination with daily REBETOL (800 mg) achieved
consistent sustained viral response (SVR) rates across all patient weights. In
this study, 68 percent were U.S. patients and, of these, 73 percent weighed more
than 75 kg (165 lbs.). Among U.S. patients weighing more than 75 kg, those
treated with weight-based PEG-INTRON and REBETOL achieved a 47 percent SVR
versus 39 percent of patients who received standard INTRON(R) A (interferon
alfa-2b, recombinant) Injection three times weekly in combination with daily
REBETOL (1,000-1,200 mg). These results were consistent with the overall SVR
rates seen in U.S. patients in this study (49 vs. 39 percent, respectively).
PEG-INTRON, the only weight-based alpha interferon product, is approved for use
in the United States as monotherapy or in combination therapy with REBETOL for
the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in patients with compensated liver disease
who have not been previously treated with interferon alpha and are at least 18
years of age.
Continuing Clinical Research
Schering-Plough is conducting a comprehensive investigational clinical study
program with PEG-INTRON and REBETOL involving more than 10,000 U.S. patients
that is designed to maximize treatment benefits and improve outcomes for a
variety of patient populations with HCV. Ongoing studies include defining the
optimal dose and duration of PEG-INTRON and REBETOL combination therapy in all
HCV virus genotypes; evaluating the safety and efficacy of this combination
therapy in African-American patients, patients on methadone and HIV/HCV
co-infected patients; the effect of treatment on liver cirrhosis; and long-term
maintenance therapy in patients who are non-responders to previous combination
therapy.
Commitment to Hepatitis C Patients
In addition to ongoing investments in research and development, Schering-Plough
is continuing its extensive commitment to support hepatitis C patients in the
United States with education and service programs as well as financial
assistance for patients in need. The company's U.S. patient assistance programs
are among the most comprehensive in the industry, providing 24-hour support and
guidance to patients from the time of diagnosis through treatment, and ensuring
that all eligible patients have access to the company's HCV products.
Twenty-five percent of all hepatitis C patients in the United States currently
treated with PEG-INTRON are enrolled in the company's Commitment to Care
program, which provides free therapy and/or reimbursement assistance. The market
value of assistance and treatment provided to hepatitis C patients through this
program was more than $80 million in 2001, and in 2002 is expected to exceed
$100 million.
Schering-Plough's Be In Charge hepatitis C patient-support program has enrolled
more than 55,000 U.S. patients to date, with more than 25,000 patients enrolling
in 2002 alone. This U.S. program is designed to assist patients in managing the
side effects associated with HCV therapy through the use of educational
materials and telephone contact with trained nurses skilled in the management of
HCV. Patients involved in this program have demonstrated a higher pharmacy
refill rate with their treatment regimen at the end of six months of therapy as
compared to those patients who do not participate in the program.
PEG-INTRON is a longer-acting form of INTRON A that uses proprietary PEG
technology developed by Enzon, Inc. (NasdaqNM:ENZN - News) of Piscataway, N.J.
Schering-Plough holds an exclusive worldwide license to PEG-INTRON.
INTRON A is a recombinant version of naturally occurring alpha interferon, which
has been shown to exert both antiviral and immunomodulatory effects.
Schering-Plough markets INTRON A for 16 major antiviral and anticancer
indications worldwide.
REBETOL is an oral formulation of ribavirin, a synthetic nucleoside analog.
Schering-Plough has exclusive worldwide rights to market oral ribavirin for
hepatitis C through a licensing agreement with Ribapharm Inc. (NYSE:RNA - News)
of Costa Mesa, Calif.
WARNING
- REBETOL monotherapy is not effective for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C
virus infection and should not be used alone for this indication. (See
WARNINGS.)
- The primary toxicity of ribavirin is hemolytic anemia. The anemia associated
with REBETOL therapy may result in worsening of cardiac disease that has lead to
fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarctions. Patients with a history of
significant or unstable cardiac disease should not be treated with REBETOL. (See
WARNINGS, ADVERSE REACTIONS, and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION.)
- Significant teratogenic and/or embryocidal effects have been demonstrated in
all animal species exposed to ribavirin. In addition, ribavirin has a
multiple-dose half-life of 12 days, and so it may persist in nonplasma
compartments for as long as 6 months. Therefore, REBETOL therapy is
contraindicated in women who are pregnant and in the male partners of women who
are pregnant. Extreme care must be taken to avoid pregnancy during therapy and
for 6 months after completion of treatment in both female patients and in female
partners of male patients who are taking REBETOL therapy. At least two reliable
forms of effective contraception must be utilized during treatment and during
the 6-month post-treatment follow-up period. (See CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS,
PRECAUTIONS-Information for Patients and Pregnancy Category X.)
- Alpha interferons, including PEG-INTRON and INTRON A, may cause or aggravate
fatal or life-threatening neuropsychiatric, autoimmune, ischemic and infectious
disorders. Patients should be monitored closely with periodic clinical and
laboratory evaluations. Patients with persistently severe or worsening signs or
symptoms of these conditions should be withdrawn from therapy. In many but not
all cases these disorders resolve after stopping therapy with PEG-INTRON or
INTRON A. (See WARNINGS, ADVERSE REACTIONS.)
PEG-INTRON
There are no new adverse events specific to PEG-INTRON as compared to INTRON A,
however, the incidence of some (e.g., injection site reactions, fever, rigors,
nausea) were higher. The most common adverse events associated with PEG-INTRON
were "flu-like" symptoms, occurring in approximately 50% of patients, which may
decrease in severity as treatment continues. Application site disorders were
common (47%), but all were mild (44%) or moderate (4%) and no patient
discontinued, and included injection site inflammation and reaction (i.e.,
bruise, itchiness, irritation). Injection site pain was reported in 2% of
patients receiving PEG-INTRON. Alopecia (thinning of the hair) is also often
associated with alpha interferons including PEG-INTRON.
Psychiatric adverse events, which include insomnia, were common (57%) with
PEG-INTRON, but similar to INTRON A (58%). Depression was most common at 29%.
Suicidal behavior including ideation, suicidal attempts, and completed suicides
occurred in 1% of patients during or shortly after completing treatment with
PEG-INTRON. PEG-INTRON is contraindicated in patients with autoimmune hepatitis
and decompensated liver disease.
The following serious or clinically significant adverse events have been
reported at a frequency < / = 1% with PEG-INTRON or interferon alpha: Severe
decreases in neutrophil or platelet counts, hypothyroidism, hyperglycemia,
hypotension, arrhythmia, ulcerative and hemorrhagic colitis, development or
exacerbation of autoimmune disorders including thyroiditis, RA, systemic lupus
erythematosus, psoriasis, pulmonary disorders (dyspnea, pulmonary infiltrates,
pneumonitis and pneumonia, some resulting in patient deaths), urticaria,
angioedema, bronchoconstriction, anaphylaxis, retinal hemorrhages and cotton
wool spots.
Renal failure patients should be closely monitored for signs and symptoms of
interferon toxicity and PEG-INTRON should be used with caution in patients with
creatinine clearance < 50 mL/min. Patients on PEG-INTRON therapy should have
hematology and blood chemistry testing before the start of treatment and then
periodically thereafter.
INTRON A
All patients receiving INTRON A therapy experienced mild-to-moderate side
effects. Some patients experienced more severe side effects, including
neutropenia, fatigue, myalgia, headache, fever, chills and increased SGOT. Other
frequently occurring side effects were nausea, vomiting, depression, alopecia,
diarrhea and thrombocytopenia. DEPRESSION AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR, INCLUDING
SUICIDAL IDEATION, SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS, AND COMPLETED SUICIDES, HAVE BEEN REPORTED
IN ASSOCIATION WITH TREATMENT WITH ALFA INTERFERONS, INCLUDING INTRON A THERAPY.
DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information in this press release includes certain
"forward-looking" statements concerning, among other things, the continuing
market for PEG-INTRON injection for use in combination therapy with REBETOL
Capsules for treating hepatitis C. The reader of this release should understand
that there are no assurances as to the extent that this combination therapy will
be prescribed or that product availability will not change. The forward-looking
statements may be adversely affected by general market factors, competitive
product development, product availability, current and future branded and
generic competition, federal and state regulations and legislation, the
regulatory process for new products and indications, existing manufacturing
issues and new manufacturing issues that may arise, timing of trade buying,
patent positions, litigation and investigations. For further details and a
discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see the company's
Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the company's 2001 10-K
and subsequent 10-Qs and 8-Ks.
Schering Laboratories is the U.S. prescription pharmaceutical marketing arm of
Schering-Plough Corporation, a research-based company engaged in the discovery,
development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide.
Schering-Plough Corporation
2000 Galloping Hill Road
Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033-0530
Contact:
Contact: Robert J. Consalvo
Voice: 908-298-7409

Hey Pam
Thanks for the www.pegasys.com site , have some friends who will
want to check it out.
Also you may want to invest a couple of dollars in a small Whip, for
when you get that urge to smoke.

Dear Pam, I hope all goes well for you with all you are dealing with, may all
the powers that be send you the energy you need to accomplish what you need to!
Love Peace and all that Hippie stuff...Mykal

Hi everybody........ sorry I have been missing...... I have been
having computer problems (among other things!) I am in the midst of
acupuncture, patches, and sleeping alot trying to get this stop
smoking thing done so I can't seem to focus on the computer right
now. I wanted to pop on and say Hi to all the new members and THANKS
to all the old members who are making them feel at home ;-) I
wanted to add that if you get Hep A while you have Hep C it IS fatal
so get those vaccinations!! You can't get Hep D without having Hep B
and Hep E is alot like Hep A but generally found in other countries.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/
http://www.twinrix.com/
and I think all of us agree that it just ISN'T passed sexually!! It
would be very rare and would have to include some bloody sex by both
people (you have to have that blood to blood mingling ;-) Anyway,
that is about all I wanted to add and I hope everyone had a great
Thanksgiving and I hope to be back typing away very soon ;-) Take
care everyone and I will ttyl
Peace and Love,
Pam

Heres a byte of info I got from a friend:) sounds like this guy is
really on a mission:) hope it works sooner than we hoped:)
Starting small, dreaming big
By Diane Hirth
DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER
Seeds of research start small, and in unexpected places.
In the case of Hengli Tang, a biology professor at Florida State
University, they begin with a boy in the Anhui province of China
near Shanghai. Tang's high-school biology teacher tells him biology
will be the science of the 21st century.
Like boys everywhere, he has an action fantasy: "My childhood dream
was to drive a Jeep across the Sahara." He decides becoming a
zoologist or biologist may get him there.
Today, Tang, 36, is still the dreamer, driven to discover a cure or
treatment for the hepatitis C virus. He has done groundbreaking
research, published in the Feb. 8 Journal of Virology, on how to
reproduce the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in vitro and track its growth,
thereby removing barriers to probing the disease. The study is co-
authored by doctoral student Heather Nelson.
According to the Florida Department of Health, more than 300,000
Floridians and almost 4 million Americans are infected with the
hepatitis C virus. Worldwide, Tang said, hepatitis C virus is four
times more prevalent than HIV, which causes AIDS. There is no
disease-specific treatment or vaccine to stop hepatitis C, which
attacks the liver and can cause cirrhosis or even death.
"There's something I see in my research that can help society. I
always ask in the back of my mind when I start a project, how will
this help patients?" said Tang, who entered the United States on
scholarship to earn a doctorate at the University of California, San
Diego.
He and wife Jian, parents of two small children, made sacrifices to
come here in August 2004. Their income dipped to one-third of what
it was in southern California, where he did HIV research for a
private company and she was a software engineer. Tang said he
yearned for the greater freedom and creativity of pursuing a
biomedical discovery in academia.
"I enjoy it. It's a blast. You actually want to go to work," Tang
said of his hepatitis C research. "I wouldn't trade it for
anything."
He secured $260,000 in research money from the American Heart
Association. FSU invested in his Level 3 laboratory, which has the
required safety-conscious protocol for moving people and objects in
and out in order to protect against the spread of the virus.
What did he unearth?
"One of the things we figured out in the study was ... the reason
the virus stopped replicating when they crowd themselves in a cell
culture," he said.
Hepatitis C virus, a parasite, thrives in a person's liver, but a
researcher needs to work outside of the body. Aided by graduate
students and post-doctoral researchers, Tang found that a supply of
nucleosides would keep the hepatitis C virus reproducing in a lab
environment.
Also solved was how to verify when replicating or destroying
hepatitis C that the virus was affected, not just the host cells. In
other words, zapping entire cells doesn't guarantee one can stop the
virus.
Tang came up with the equivalent of a tracking device, a green
fluorescence showing when the virus infects and replicates within a
cell. Tang drew upon a technique he used in HIV research, "but you
have to change it because this virus is completely different."
His next endeavor will be finding a research collaborator and maybe
connecting with Scripps Research Institute, which recently arrived
in South Florida. The goal will be to use his techniques, under a
preliminary patent, to test compounds that could lead to anti-
hepatitis C drugs. Scripps has expensive equipment that can try out
compounds on a scale that Tang can't duplicate.
The cure for hepatitis C "probably is a long way off," he said.
Yet someday, "I want to point to something on a shelf, that pill
that patients can take and feel