Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. Chronic infection can lead to liver cancer, liver failure, and cirrhosis or scarring of the liver. Credit: V. Altounian
An over-the-counter drug indicated to treat allergy symptoms limited hepatitis C virus activity in infected mice, according to a National Institutes of Health study. The results suggest that the drug, chlorcyclizine HCl (CCZ), potentially could be used to treat the virus in people. Results were published April 8 in Science Translational Medicine.
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes liver inflammation and often leads to serious complications such as cirrhosis. Early diagnosis and treatment of HCV can prevent liver damage. Drugs are available to treat HCV, but costs can reach tens of thousands of dollars.
"Although hepatitis C is curable, there is an unmet need for effective and affordable medication," said lead author T. Jake Liang, M.D., senior investigator at NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). "CCZ is a promising candidate for part of a treatment regimen for this potentially life-threatening disease."
Conducted at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, the study found that CCZ blocked the early stage of HCV infection likely by impairing the ability of the virus to enter human liver cells grafted in the mice. The outcome was similar to that of commonly used antiviral drugs but without those drugs' toxic side effects.
"Using an innovative high-throughput screening process, we identified CCZ as a potent inhibitor of hepatitis C," said Anton Simeonov, Ph.D., acting scientific director of NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), which collaborated in the study. "Identifying already approved drugs from the NCATS Pharmaceutical Collection may offer a faster route to potential discovery of treatments for all diseases."
The researchers will next study how the drug affects people. CCZ is currently used for the treatment of allergies, not for HCV. "People should not take CCZ to treat their hepatitis C until it has been demonstrated that CCZ can be used safely and effectively for that purpose," cautions Liang.
"NIH research is vital to finding creative solutions for some of today's most serious public health issues," said NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D. "The CCZ medication may eventually provide an affordable alternative to costly options, especially in low-resource communities where hepatitis C infection is widespread."
Explore further: New Hepatitis C treatments cost-effective, but only for selected patients, study shows
More information: Repurposing of the antihistamine chlorcyclizine and related compounds for treatment of hepatitis C virus infection, http://ift.tt/1pjWY9d scitranslmed.3010286
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
New Hepatitis C treatments cost-effective, but only for selected patients, study shows
A study led by Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers demonstrates that while new therapies to treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are highly effective, they are cost-effective and provide the greatest value in ...
Transmission of hepatitis C virus following antiviral treatment
Millions of people throughout the world are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Left untreated, infection results in serious complications such as cirrhosis of the liver and cancer. Many HCV-infected patients respond well ...
Predicting the outcome of hepatitis C virus treatment
Millions of people throughout the world are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and cancer. Directly acting antiviral agents inhibit viral proteins and have been used to successfully ...
New focus to combat rising liver disease
University of Adelaide researchers are investigating how the liver responds to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and why some people can control the virus while others can't. The aim is to find better therapies to combat hepatitis ...
High hepatitis C cure rate seen in NIH-led trial of six-week oral drug regimens
Thirty-eight of 40 volunteers with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections who received a combination of three direct-acting oral drugs for six weeks were cured in a clinical trial conducted at the National Institutes of Health ...
Recommended for you
Gene study helps explain Legionnaires' probe complications
Genetic research helps to explain why tracing the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that claimed four lives has proven to be more complicated than scientists hoped.
Researchers develop Ebola vaccine effective in a single dose
An interdisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Profectus BioSciences, Inc. has developed a quick-acting vaccine that is both safe and effective with a single dose against ...
Osteoporosis-related fractures in China expected to double by 2035
The results of the first study using a health economics model to project osteoporosis-related fractures and costs for the Chinese population, shows that the country's healthcare system will face a dramatic rise in costs over ...
Turning to freshwater sources to fight drug-resistant tuberculosis, other infections
The discovery of antibiotics produced by soil fungi and bacteria gave the world life-saving medicine. But new antimicrobials from this resource have become scarce as the threat of drug resistance grows. Now, ...
Total annual hospital costs could be reduced by rapid candidemia identification
A new study describes a model that estimates the economic consequences of using the T2Candida Panel (a novel diagnostic product that provides Candida detection) as an adjunct to the current blood culture-based diagnostic ...
Plotting the elimination of dengue
Dengue is a viral infection spread between humans by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Dengue causes flu-like symptoms, including intense headaches and joint pains.
User comments
Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more
Click here to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. Chronic infection can lead to liver cancer, liver failure, and cirrhosis or scarring of the liver. Credit: V. Altounian
An over-the-counter drug indicated to treat allergy symptoms limited hepatitis C virus activity in infected mice, according to a National Institutes of Health study. The results suggest that the drug, chlorcyclizine HCl (CCZ), potentially could be used to treat the virus in people. Results were published April 8 in Science Translational Medicine.
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes liver inflammation and often leads to serious complications such as cirrhosis. Early diagnosis and treatment of HCV can prevent liver damage. Drugs are available to treat HCV, but costs can reach tens of thousands of dollars.
"Although hepatitis C is curable, there is an unmet need for effective and affordable medication," said lead author T. Jake Liang, M.D., senior investigator at NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). "CCZ is a promising candidate for part of a treatment regimen for this potentially life-threatening disease."
Conducted at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, the study found that CCZ blocked the early stage of HCV infection likely by impairing the ability of the virus to enter human liver cells grafted in the mice. The outcome was similar to that of commonly used antiviral drugs but without those drugs' toxic side effects.
"Using an innovative high-throughput screening process, we identified CCZ as a potent inhibitor of hepatitis C," said Anton Simeonov, Ph.D., acting scientific director of NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), which collaborated in the study. "Identifying already approved drugs from the NCATS Pharmaceutical Collection may offer a faster route to potential discovery of treatments for all diseases."
The researchers will next study how the drug affects people. CCZ is currently used for the treatment of allergies, not for HCV. "People should not take CCZ to treat their hepatitis C until it has been demonstrated that CCZ can be used safely and effectively for that purpose," cautions Liang.
"NIH research is vital to finding creative solutions for some of today's most serious public health issues," said NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D. "The CCZ medication may eventually provide an affordable alternative to costly options, especially in low-resource communities where hepatitis C infection is widespread."
Explore further: New Hepatitis C treatments cost-effective, but only for selected patients, study shows
More information: Repurposing of the antihistamine chlorcyclizine and related compounds for treatment of hepatitis C virus infection, http://ift.tt/1pjWY9d scitranslmed.3010286
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
New Hepatitis C treatments cost-effective, but only for selected patients, study shows
A study led by Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers demonstrates that while new therapies to treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are highly effective, they are cost-effective and provide the greatest value in ...
Transmission of hepatitis C virus following antiviral treatment
Millions of people throughout the world are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Left untreated, infection results in serious complications such as cirrhosis of the liver and cancer. Many HCV-infected patients respond well ...
Predicting the outcome of hepatitis C virus treatment
Millions of people throughout the world are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and cancer. Directly acting antiviral agents inhibit viral proteins and have been used to successfully ...
New focus to combat rising liver disease
University of Adelaide researchers are investigating how the liver responds to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and why some people can control the virus while others can't. The aim is to find better therapies to combat hepatitis ...
High hepatitis C cure rate seen in NIH-led trial of six-week oral drug regimens
Thirty-eight of 40 volunteers with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections who received a combination of three direct-acting oral drugs for six weeks were cured in a clinical trial conducted at the National Institutes of Health ...
Recommended for you
Gene study helps explain Legionnaires' probe complications
Genetic research helps to explain why tracing the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that claimed four lives has proven to be more complicated than scientists hoped.
Researchers develop Ebola vaccine effective in a single dose
An interdisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Profectus BioSciences, Inc. has developed a quick-acting vaccine that is both safe and effective with a single dose against ...
Osteoporosis-related fractures in China expected to double by 2035
The results of the first study using a health economics model to project osteoporosis-related fractures and costs for the Chinese population, shows that the country's healthcare system will face a dramatic rise in costs over ...
Turning to freshwater sources to fight drug-resistant tuberculosis, other infections
The discovery of antibiotics produced by soil fungi and bacteria gave the world life-saving medicine. But new antimicrobials from this resource have become scarce as the threat of drug resistance grows. Now, ...
Total annual hospital costs could be reduced by rapid candidemia identification
A new study describes a model that estimates the economic consequences of using the T2Candida Panel (a novel diagnostic product that provides Candida detection) as an adjunct to the current blood culture-based diagnostic ...
Plotting the elimination of dengue
Dengue is a viral infection spread between humans by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Dengue causes flu-like symptoms, including intense headaches and joint pains.
User comments
Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more
Click here
to reset your password.
Sign in to get notified via email when new comments are made.
0 comments:
Post a Comment