Interesting Thought-Marty

[Guest guest]

While I'm thrilled a new test is available, it's scary to think that all of

the people who have been tested for Hep C and were told they were negative,

yet still may have it. I would have a very hard time accepting that if I

knew I were sick, and had about every test there was trying to find out the

problem.

Guess this might be something else for us heppers to add to our list of

things to do--lol, try and get the word out that even if you were tested,

negatively, previously for Hep C, you may need to get retested.

Have a great evening!

Betty

[Guest guest]

While I'm thrilled a new test is available, it's scary to think that all of

the people who have been tested for Hep C and were told they were negative,

yet still may have it. I would have a very hard time accepting that if I

knew I were sick, and had about every test there was trying to find out the

problem.

Guess this might be something else for us heppers to add to our list of

things to do--lol, try and get the word out that even if you were tested,

negatively, previously for Hep C, you may need to get retested.

Have a great evening!

Betty

[Guest guest]

New Study Suggests Possible Clinical Benefit UsingNewer Test for

Detecting

Hepatitis C

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- A study presented at this

year's

51st American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) meeting

reported on results using a new Hepatitis C (HCV) test which utilizes a

cutting-edge molecular diagnostics technology called transcription

mediated amplification (TMA). The results of this study showed that

more

than one- third of the patient samples that tested negative for HCV

using

the conventional PCR test were actually positive when tested by the new

TMA test.

Dr. Stefan Zeuzem of the Zentrum der Inneren Medizin, furt,

Germany,

presented results of a study in which 47 patient samples that had

previously tested negative for HCV with existing PCR-based assays, were

re-tested with the VERSANT HCV Qualitative RNA Assay from Bayer

Diagnostics. The results of this new study showed that 36% of patient

samples that were negative using the PCR assay were positive by the new

TMA test. After being tested with the conventional PCR test, all of

these

patients had relapsed after treatment was stopped. Dr. Zeuzem

speculated

that the results may have implications for the treatment of chronic

Hepatitis C, such as keeping patients on therapy longer to avoid

relapse.

Further research is necessary to confirm these early stage results.

The VERSANT HCV RNA Qualitative Assay, is currently available for

Investigational Use Only (the performance characteristics of this

product

have not been established) in Germany and other parts of Europe.

Qualitative testing for HCV using TMA technology is available in the

U.S.

as a service of the Bayer Reference Testing Laboratory in Emeryville,

California.

Bayer Diagnostics is a leader in developing novel nucleic acid

diagnostic

tests for infectious diseases. The company recently released a new

version of its quantitative HCV RNA assay (based on its proprietary bDNA

technology). That assay, VERSANT HCV RNA 3.0 Assay (bDNA) is

available

worldwide for Research Use Only (not for use for diagnostic procedures),

and is designed to quantitate HCV RNA over a broad range of values.

Bayer Diagnostics

With more than 7,500 employees worldwide and 1999 sales of close to $1.8

billion, Bayer Diagnostics (www.bayerdiag.com), based in Tarrytown, New

York, USA, is one of the largest diagnostic businesses in the world.

The

organization supports customers in 100 countries through an extensive

portfolio of central laboratory, self-testing, nucleic acid, point of

care

and critical care diagnostics systems and services for use in the

assessment and management of health, including the areas of

cardiovascular

disease, oncology, virology, women's health and diabetes. Bayer

Diagnostics is a part of the worldwide Bayer Group, a $29 billion

international life sciences, polymers and specialty chemicals group

based

in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer Diagnostics' global headquarters in the

United States operates as part of Bayer Corporation of Pittsburgh, a

research-based company with major businesses in health care, life

science

and chemicals.

SOURCE Bayer Corporation

CO: Bayer Corporation; Bayer Diagnostics; American Association for the

Study of Liver Disease

ST: Pennsylvania, New York