There was a bit of hitch in the research and development by Genelabs to develop a new hepatitis drug but according to Chemistry World the day is saved because  Chemistry Lab Genelabs Technologies in a deal worth thirty seven million with GSK.

The development of the world’s first hepatitis E vaccine is currently in Phase II clinical trials and although it is rare in the western world it is endemic in developing countries where it is spread through contaminated water or food at an alarming rate.

All in all there are five different kinds of hepatitis that range from Hepatitis A through to E. Each type differs in how serious is it but there are also many different treatments in development for these problems and almost all of them are by Genelabs. The HCV virus affects about 170 million people worldwide with Hepatitis C being the main offender. Hepatitis C is manageable with a vaccine as well and Genelabs is also in development with many different types of inoculation for that.

The company’s portfolio also included vaccines against hepatitis B and A as well as two antiviral medications for hepatitis B.

The good news about the takeover by GSK is that it will allow research to be continued on all of these drugs by Genelabs Technologies but especially that very rare form of hepatitis called hepatits E. The intention of the drug research for most of these new prescription products is to develop something more effective than the current drugs for hepatitis which are based on a mixture of interferon and ribavarin. The problem with the current standard drugs for this is that they are estimated to be only effective 50% of the time. A drug that works half the time to manage a disease is better than nothing but so much more can be done to improve the quality of life of individuals who have contracted the chronic forms of this disease.