The next round of clinical trials with Heptazyme begin in the fall at four Mainland sites. At this point, Hawai'i patients will not be included even though Hawai'i has one of the highest rates of hepatitis C infection in the country. Large-scale immigration from Asian countries, where hepatitis C infection is high, has been cited as one reason for Hawai'i's high rate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider hepatitis C an epidemic in the United States, with about 4 million people infected. Worldwide, it's estimated as many as 125 million people are infected.
Chronic infection can lead to liver inflammation, cirrhosis and cancer.
VEGF is abundant during childhood, in healing wounds, and in pregnant women. But usually, healthy adults don't have it, he said. So when you see VEGF in a normal adult you know there's a problem. It's known to be causative for the growth of solid tumors. According to the terms of that study, patients would continue the drug as long as the tumor did not grow.