An Oral Exam for Hepatitis C?

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Thanks Pam!!!!!!!

> An Oral Exam for Hepatitis C?

>

> OraSure and Schering-Plough to develop the first salvia test to detect

> the dangerous liver disease.

> January 4, 2007

>

> By Barron

>

> Pamela , the overly-buxom Baywatch veteran is known for a lot of

> things. And among them is her unwanted status as a poster child for

> hepatitis C. In 2002, she announced she got the potentially fatal liver

> disease while sharing a tattoo needle with ex-husband and rocker Tommy

> Lee.

>

>

>

> Ms. got the bad news after a blood test confirmed it. OraSure

> Technologies is trying to offer folks an easier way to detect the

> disease. On Thursday, the company said it inked a deal with healthcare

> company giant Schering-Plough to develop an oral hepatitis C test.

>

>

>

> Such oral tests are far from new for OraSure. OraSure makes mouth swab

> HIV tests that within 20 minutes deliver results in the comfort of a

> healthcare provider's office.

>

>

>

> The company has also been gaining attention lately for its efforts to

> make an over-the-counter HIV test, which would allow folks in the

> privacy of their own home to determine if they are positive for the

> virus that causes AIDS (see Studies Start for Home HIV Test and Testing

> for HIV at Home).

>

>

>

> But the company's latest efforts focus on teaming up with hepatitis C

> treatment maker Schering-Plough to develop and market the first oral

> test to detect hepatitis C virus antibodies.

>

>

>

> The deal calls for Schering-Plough to reimburse OraSure for a portion of

> the costs needed to develop the test. Schering-Plough will also pony up

> promotional support so the two can co-brand the product for the U.S.

> physicians' office market.

>

>

>

> Orasure will still be the folks to sell the test. As well, " we retain

> the rights in all markets, " said Ron Ticho, the company's vice president

> of strategic marketing.

>

>

>

> Although the companies won't disclose any financial details, OraSure

> said the agreement is set to last for two years, starting when the test

> hits the commercial markets.

>

>

>

> " The (hepatitis C virus) test has a significant commercial and medical

> value, and is going to help identify more individuals who are infected, "

> Mr. Ticho said. Part of the test's draw is the obvious ability to pass

> on current detection methods, which include a needle or stick prick.

>

>

>

> Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, and is

> spread by contact with the blood of an infected person. It is also the

> most common blood-borne infection in America, affecting about 4 million

> people in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

> Prevention.

>

>

>

> Globally, an estimated 170 million people, or 3 percent of the world's

> population, are chronically infected with the disease, and three to four

> million people are newly infected each year, according to the World

> Health Organization.

>

>

>

> Currently there is no vaccine to protect against the infection.

>

>

>

> But for those who work in the healthcare trenches trying to curb

> infection rates, the company collaboration points to a long-awaited

> technology that might finally come to be.

>

>

>

> " That's just about the best news I've heard in a long time, " said Alan

> Franciscus, founder of the San Francisco non-profit organization the

> Hepatitis C Support Project.

>

>

>

> With hepatitis C early detection is key. Once people know they have the

> virus " they can take precautions to keep healthy and manage their

> disease effectively, " Mr. Franciscus says.

>

>

>

> Hepatitis C is often described as a " silent epidemic " because people

> infected with the disease usually show no symptoms. It is estimated that

> only 25 percent of hepatitis C cases have been diagnosed.

>

>

>

> Mr. Franciscus sees OraSure's test possibly making a real dent in the

> ability to improve detection rates. The fact that a phlebotomist won't

> be need to draw blood opens new doors as to who can administer the test.

>

>

>

>

> As well, " It's got to be cheaper, " he suspects. Although OraSure

> wouldn't reveal any potential prices, Mr. Franciscus said some of the

> savings will come from not needing to pay a phlebotomist and the

> proceeding lab tests. If a person does have a positive result, blood

> tests will be needed to confirm a diagnosis.

>

>

>

> Wall Street also appeared to like the move sending OraSure stock up

> $0.59, or 7.24 percent, to $8.74. Schering-Plough also saw an

> incremental boost of $0.19, or 0.81 percent, to $23.72.

>

>

>

> But both Wall Street and Mr. Franciscus will have to wait to for the

> companies' collaboration to bear the fruit of the deal.

>

>

>

> Again keeping a rather tight lip OraSure wouldn't state how far along it

> is with the test's development. The only thing Mr. Ticho would say is

> the company has done feasibility tests, and the product development

> process is going extremely well.

>

>

>

>

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