New Use for Metformin in Treating Hepatitis C?

[portann]

I'm surprised to see this, as all we hear about these days are STAT-C's. Talk about coming from a different direction.

I'm curious to hear your reaction and know some of you take Metformin for diabetes.

I recall making a comment about Metformin on a lively, old thread but with the benefit of hindsight, that comment now seems inappropriate. Anyway, that thread may have gone the way of some our lively threads. :)

New Use for Old Drugs in Treating Hepatitis C

Research led by the University of Leeds has found drugs such as anti-diabetic drug Metformin and AICAR, used to combat obesity, can prevent the hepatitis C virus from replicating in the body. Hepatitis C virus affects
an estimated three per cent of the world’s population and there are four million carriers of the virus in Europe alone. The virus affects the liver and recovery rates are low: only around 40 % of hepatitis C sufferers will fully
recover, with others developing cirrhosis and in many cases, liver cancer.

“We’re very excited about these findings,” said Professor Mark Harris from the University’s Faculty of Biological Sciences. “These drugs are already on the market, and whilst substantial clinical trials still need to take place before they can be used to treat hepatitis C infection, we think it could be an enormous step forward in the battle against the virus.”

The research was supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Drugs such as Metformin and AICAR work by stimulating an enzyme called AMP kinase (AMPK) which regulates energy within our cells – the very enzyme that hepatitis C virus represses to enable it to replicate. “You’d expect AMPK to be activated when a cell becomes infected by a virus, because it would sense the increase in energy required to enable the virus to replicate. In such cases, AMPK would shut down certain functions of the cell temporarily until the cell’s energy is rebalanced,” said Professor Harris. “We found that hepatitis C virus, because it needs lipids and membranes, causes the opposite to happen.”

Building on this finding, the research team were able to examine how cells would react when treated with common drugs that stimulate AMPK. They found that in infected cells, the drugs were able to halt virus replication, enabling cells to clear the infection. A patent has been filed on the discovery and the team will shortly embark on a smallscale clinical trial with the University of Nottingham to provide a greater evidence base upon which future clinical trials can be based.

http://www.labmate-online.com/news/news-and-views/5/news/new_use_for_old_drugs_in_treating_hepatitis_c/11108/

[CoWriter]

You're right.  It won't work on thin people.  That's the rein one of the Metformin studies, women had a much higher SVR than men.  Women have more fat, men have more muscle.  

Each genotype causes insulin resistance in a different way, so choosing the right insulin sensitizer according to genotype will also be important.  In most studies that used Metformin, they eithr started with a low dose of Metformin or they started it at baseline....instead, they need to sensitize people BEFORE starting treatment.
Co

[kittyface]

I was on metformin during tx and I cleared.  Maybe it helped?

[jusjames]

sorry i should say
if you are IR then yes it would help , you can be IR without being diabetic
but if you are skinny and IR which is possible then metformin wont work
insulin resistant cells can be in fat, muscle or the liver, metformin works on fat cells only

[jusjames]

HI

metformin prevents the insulin resistance in the cells (fat cells) it does not stop glucose production it makes the insulin available more productive , metformin is used with diet and lifestyle in people who are still producing some insulin but not enough,
if it helps why is it that diabetics have lower succes rates?

[stg088]

I'm not sure why you think Metformin only works on fat - in diabetes, the primary function of metformin is to stop the liver from over-producing glucose.  
"it only works on fat"  - not sure what you mean.

[jusjames]

ok so how will it work on thin people????????????
it wont!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it only works on fat
excitement over

hey how come diabetics arnt all svr'ing everyday of the week then ?

[CoStudy]

This is very interesting.  I would like to know more and if the drugs need to be used together.  If it works it could mean financial disaster for companies like Vertex, Merck that have spent millions on PIs.

Being the drugs are already FDA approved, they would be on a very fast track study program to achieve HCV results.