AASLD Issues Call for Americans To Fight Liver Disease As Screening Reveals Alarmingly High Prevalence Of Hepatitis B Among Asian Americans

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to an alarming rise in liver disease, today the nation’s leading liver doctors called on all Americans to talk to their physicians about liver screening and other tests they should consider to detect, treat and prevent liver disease.

At their annual meeting in San Francisco, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) issued a call to action for a reinvigorated fight against liver disease, particularly Hepatitis B among high risk groups such as Asian Americans.

A study being released at the AASLD meeting this week showed the results of a mass screening in New York City that revealed 21 percent of the Asian American population tested positive for Hepatitis B infection -- a rate 50 times higher than the general public.

“All of us in the liver community have been aware that liver disease is more common among certain populations, but this study presents new data that serves as a wake-up call for the entire country,” said AASLD President Teresa Wright, M.D. “We need to increase the level of education and awareness about liver disease among both health professionals and patients and head off this emerging health crisis.”

“The hepatology community has the tools to prevent, detect, and treat even the most devastating forms of liver disease, including Hepatitis B,” said Dr. Wright. “Unfortunately, because there are often no obvious symptoms of liver disease, people tend to overlook this essential organ.”

Despite Hepatitis B being both preventable and treatable, only 20 percent of people with Hepatitis B know they are infected and only three percent receive the treatment they need. Lack of awareness of Hepatitis B is leading to unnecessary complications and death for the 1.25 million individuals with chronic Hepatitis B in the United States.

“Every at-risk American should know their viral hepatitis status,” said Dr. Wright. “Awareness of hepatitis infection allows patients to modify their lifestyle, prevent transmission to others, and seek treatment if appropriate.”

Today also marks the launch of the American Liver Foundation’s T.H.I.N.K. B (The Hepatitis Information You Need to Know) program of public education and screening for Hepatitis B. Simultaneous events will be held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.

“Here in San Francisco, we need to be even more diligent in detecting and treating liver disease because the Asian American and GLBT communities are disproportionately affected,” said Dr. Wright.

More than 30 million Americans, one in 10, are or have been afflicted with liver diseases ranging from viral hepatitis to autoimmune conditions. Liver disease is a top 10 cause of death in the United States and is now the leading cause of death for people who are HIV-positive. The annual economic impact of liver disease is estimated at $35.1 billion.

Worldwide, liver disease affects more than half a billion people, and liver cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death.

The AASLD Annual meeting will include the presentation of promising research for the prevention and treatment of several forms of liver disease.

Promising Research: Key Abstracts Hepatitis B Prevalence * Mass screening in New York City reveals extraordinarily high prevalence of hepatitis B in an urban Asian population Mass screening in the New York Asian American population for Hepatitis B reveals a prevalence of 21 percent, markedly higher than previously estimated and 50 times higher than the general population which is .4 percent. Hepatitis B Treatment * Telbivudine (LdT) vs. Lamivudine for Chronic Hepatitis B: First-Year Results from the International Phase III GLOBE Trial Results from a phase III trial of telbivudine, a new drug against hepatitis B, show telbivudine is better than standard therapy (lamivudine) in lowering serum levels of HBV DNA and is associated with less viral resistance than lamivudine. * Maximal early HBV suppression is predictive of optimal virology and clinical efficacy in nucleoside-treated hepatitis B patients: Scientific observations from a large multinational trial A study comparing telbivudine and lamivudine shows that best outcomes occur when level of HBV is decreased quickly after starting treatment. Oral Therapy for Hepatitis C * Anti-viral Activity of SCH 503034, a HCV Protease Inhibitor, Administered as Monotherapy in Hepatitis C Genotype-1 (HCV-1) Patients Refractory to Pegylated Interferon Patients receiving the highest dose of the study drug, a protease inhibitor, achieved a more than 100 fold reduction in the level of hepatitis C viral RNA from baseline after only 14 days despite not responding to standard treatment with interferon. * Final Results of a Phase 1B, Multiple-dose Study of VX-950, a Hepatitis C Virus Protease Inhibitor Results from an initial study of a new protease inhibitor show every patient achieved a 100 fold reduction in the serum level of hepatitis C virus after only 14 days of treatment. Among those receiving the highest dose, there was a more than 10,000-fold reduction (4.4 log10) at the end of 14 days of dosing. * Randomized Trial of Valopicitabine (NM283), Alone or with Peg- Interferon, vs. Retreatment with Peg-Interferon plus Ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV) in Hepatitis C Patients with Previous Non-Response to PegIFN/RBV: First Interim Results Results from a phase II study of the combination of an HCV polymerase inhibitor (NM283) and interferon show that 55 percent of patients who had not responded previously became negative for hepatitis C viral RNA when re-treated with this combination.

AASLD is the leading organization of physicians focused solely on advancing the science and practice of hepatology, and has been at the forefront of investigating and treating liver diseases. The American Liver Foundation (ALF) is the nation’s leading patient advocacy organization promoting liver health and disease prevention.

For more information please visit the AASLD web site at http://www.AASLD.org, the American Liver Foundation web site at http://www.liverfoundation.org and the T.H.I.N.K. B web site at http://www.THINKB.org.

CONTACT: Jaymie Gustafson

202-431-9478 jaymie.gustafson@zenogroup.com

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

CONTACT: Jaymie Gustafson, +1-202-431-9478,jaymie.gustafson@zenogroup.com, for the American Association for the Studyof Liver Diseases

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