Avid Bioservices Inc (CDMO)

[entdoc]

Dew, interesting concept, but questionable legs. As added perspective and review for those in this discussion:A Cochrane Review: Ribavirin monotherapy for chronic hepatitis C by Brok J, Gluud LL, Gluud C
Treatment of patients infected with hepatitis C virus
Globally, about 170 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus transmitted by intravenous drug use, mother-to-infant transmission, unsafe medical practices, high-risk sexual behaviour, and blood transfusion. Chronic hepatitis C is mostly a benign viral infection, but a minority of patients develop liver cirrhosis and may suffer from complications due to cirrhosis or die from it.
Interferon monotherapy clears hepatitis C virus from the blood in about 15% of patients. Adding ribavirin to interferon (combination therapy) significantly improves the number that clears hepatitis C from the blood to about 30-40%, but the majority are not long-term responders, and many cannot tolerate interferon. Not all patients can tolerate interferon, and also interferon is costly. This review identified 11 randomised trials comparing ribavirin with no antiviral treatment in patient with chronic hepatitis C. Combining the results from all identified trials ribavirin alone seemed without beneficial effects for patients with chronic hepatitis C. Moreover, ribavirin given alone was significantly inferior compared with interferon regarding clearing hepatitis C from the blood and regarding reducing liver enzymes activity in the blood. Furthermore, ribavirin given alone increased the risk of anaemia. Thus, ribavirin given alone cannot be recommended, but more trials may be needed."
Additionally, resistance to Ribavirin occurs frequently in spontaneous mutations in both hepatitis and polio virus infections.