University of Alberta Edmonton, Canada 18 April 1997

Tyrrell's treatment for hepatitis B shows promise

By Judy Goldsand

The antiviral therapy developed by Dr. Lorne Tyrrell for treating chronic hepatitis B continues to yield encouraging results.

In 1991, Tyrrell and his research team discovered that lamivudine had potential as the world's first treatment for hepatitis B, a disease that affects approximately 100,000 Canadians. Lamivudine was first synthesized by Biochem Pharma (Montreal) and licensed to Glaxo Wellcome. In 1994, funding from Glaxo Wellcome enabled the University of Alberta to establish the Glaxo Heritage Research Institute for research into viral diseases including hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

In a recent study involving 358 Asian patients in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, 73 received placebos, 142 lamivudine at 25 mg per day and 143 lamivudine at 100 mg per day. At the end of one year, 96 per cent on lamivudine (100 mg) had negative hepatitis B DNA compared with 28 per cent on placebo.

Dr. Marc Rubin, international anti-infectives immunology director for Glaxo Wellcome, commented, "While definitive conclusions about the clinical profile of lamivudine must await the further analysis of this study and other phase III clinical studies currently in progress, these results are extremely encouraging. They demonstrate the significant potential lamivudine offers as the first oral anti-HBV therapy with proven benefit in the majority of chronically infected hepatitis B patients."

Besides continuing his research as director of the Glaxo Heritage Research Institute, Tyrrell is currently dean of the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine.

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