Sho-saiko-to in Ph I as hepatitis C therapy

An estimated five million Americans have been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to a study published at the Liver Meeting by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in November 2005. Chronic hepatitis C is associated with significant morbidity (liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma) and mortality. Current treatment is based on interferon and ribavirin, says HepCare Inc, a US company marketing Sho-saiko-to (SST), a standardized herbal formula developed in Japan. However, treatment options are limited for patients who are not candidates for interferon-based therapy, particularly for those people who suffer from HCV genotype 1 infection.

SST is under a clinical Phase II trial by a leading New York Cancer Research Institute to determine its effect on hepatitis C patients. The research group has reported the preliminary results of 15 patients at the 2nd Society of Integrative Oncology Conference in San Diego, California, USA. This evaluation is titled Sho-saiko-to for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Who Are Intolerant to or Have Contraindication to Interferon-Based Therapy: A Phase II Study. SST is known to have anti-fibrotic effect by inhibition of lipid peroxidation in hepatocytes and stellate cells in animal studies. It has also been shown to reduce aminotransferase levels and the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in hepatitis and liver cirrhosis patients, according to the company.

Study saw no adverse effects of SST