Liver Failure

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., in Cambridge, has licensed two potential hepatitis C drugs from Alios BioPharma Inc. It plans to start human testing of the two drugs later this year. The drugs, taken orally, appear to block an enzyme essential for replication of the hepatitis C virus, Vertex said. The virus can cause liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure, or cancer. The FDA approved Vertex’s hepatitis C drug Incivek in May, and it is expected to become a leading treatment for the disease.

A chef and assistant from China died after eating poisonous mushrooms in a meal they prepared for a private dinner at a restaurant in Australia's capital. Chef Liu Jun, 38, and his female kitchen hand Tsou Hsiang, 52, died from liver failure at a hospital Tuesday night after eating death cap mushrooms on New Year's Eve at Canberra's Harmonie German Club. The two prepared the deadly stir fry in the kitchen of the club's Chinese bistro, but club manager Mick Thamer said Friday that the meal had not been available to the public.

WASHINGTON - Government health officials warned dieters and body builders yesterday to immediately stop using Hydroxycut, a widely sold supplement linked to cases of serious liver damage and at least one death. The Food and Drug Administration said the company that makes the dietary supplement has agreed to recall 14 Hydroxycut products, including such products as Max Drink Packets, Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets, and Max Aqua Shed. Hydroxycut is advertised as made from natural ingredients.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., in Cambridge, has licensed two potential hepatitis C drugs from Alios BioPharma Inc. It plans to start human testing of the two drugs later this year. The drugs, taken orally, appear to block an enzyme essential for replication of the hepatitis C virus, Vertex said. The virus can cause liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure, or cancer. The FDA approved Vertex’s hepatitis C drug Incivek in May, and it is expected to become a leading treatment for the disease.

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of liver damage in patients taking alli, the only nonprescription weight-loss drug approved by the agency. Regulators said yesterday they have received more than 30 reports of liver damage in patients taking alli and Xenical, the prescription version of the drug. The reports, submitted between 1999 and October 2008, included 27 hospitalized patients and six who suffered liver failure. Alli and Xenical are both marketed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC, though Xenical is manufactured by Roche, a Swiss...

A chef and assistant from China died after eating poisonous mushrooms in a meal they prepared for a private dinner at a restaurant in Australia's capital. Chef Liu Jun, 38, and his female kitchen hand Tsou Hsiang, 52, died from liver failure at a hospital Tuesday night after eating death cap mushrooms on New Year's Eve at Canberra's Harmonie German Club. The two prepared the deadly stir fry in the kitchen of the club's Chinese bistro, but club manager Mick Thamer said Friday that the meal had not been available to the public.

NEW YORK - Rabbi Shlomo Matusof, a leader of Chabad-Lubavitch educational activities in Morocco for decades, died Saturday during a visit to New York, according to the Jewish movement's website. Rabbi Matusof, who was 91, died of liver failure, a Chabad spokesman said. He was buried Sunday in Queens. Rabbi Matusof and his sons were among thousands attending the five-day International Conference of Chabad Lubavitch Emissaries in Brooklyn. The annual conference features workshops and discussions.

CAMBRIDGE - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said yesterday that it bought two hepatitis C drug candidates from ViroChem Pharma Inc., and plans to test the drugs in combination with its own drug candidate telaprevir. Vertex will pay ViroChem $100 million for the drugs, along with 9.9 million shares of its stock. The company's shares closed at $27.96 yesterday, implying a value of $276.8 million for the stock and a total value of $376.8 million for the drugs. Based on laboratory tests, Vertex said a combination of telaprevir and the two drugs might be more effective against...

TOKYO -- Japan's richest man, Yasuo Takei, who retired in shame as chairman of consumer credit company Takefuji Corp. amid a wiretapping scandal, has died, a company spokesman said yesterday . He was 76. Mr. Takei died of liver failure at his home in Tokyo on Thursday, the Tokyo-based Takefuji Corp. said in a statement. Mr. Takei, 76, was listed as Japan's richest man, along with his family, in this year's Forbes magazine listing of the world's billionaires, with assets of $5.4 billion.

Director Yoshimitsu Morita, whose films including the award-winning "Family Game," depicted the absurdity and vulnerability of conformist Japan's everyday life, has died. He was 61. Morita, who won international acclaim over a prolific 30-year career, died Tuesday of acute liver failure at a Tokyo hospital, said Yoko Ota, spokeswoman at Toei Co., which is behind his latest work set for release next year. Funeral arrangements were still undecided. He is survived by his wife Misao.

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of liver damage in patients taking alli, the only nonprescription weight-loss drug approved by the agency. Regulators said yesterday they have received more than 30 reports of liver damage in patients taking alli and Xenical, the prescription version of the drug. The reports, submitted between 1999 and October 2008, included 27 hospitalized patients and six who suffered liver failure. Alli and Xenical are both marketed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC, though Xenical is manufactured by Roche, a Swiss...

WASHINGTON - Government health officials warned dieters and body builders yesterday to immediately stop using Hydroxycut, a widely sold supplement linked to cases of serious liver damage and at least one death. The Food and Drug Administration said the company that makes the dietary supplement has agreed to recall 14 Hydroxycut products, including such products as Max Drink Packets, Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets, and Max Aqua Shed. Hydroxycut is advertised as made from natural ingredients.

CAMBRIDGE - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said yesterday that it bought two hepatitis C drug candidates from ViroChem Pharma Inc., and plans to test the drugs in combination with its own drug candidate telaprevir. Vertex will pay ViroChem $100 million for the drugs, along with 9.9 million shares of its stock. The company's shares closed at $27.96 yesterday, implying a value of $276.8 million for the stock and a total value of $376.8 million for the drugs. Based on laboratory tests, Vertex said a combination of telaprevir and the two drugs might be more effective against...

NEW YORK - Rabbi Shlomo Matusof, a leader of Chabad-Lubavitch educational activities in Morocco for decades, died Saturday during a visit to New York, according to the Jewish movement's website. Rabbi Matusof, who was 91, died of liver failure, a Chabad spokesman said. He was buried Sunday in Queens. Rabbi Matusof and his sons were among thousands attending the five-day International Conference of Chabad Lubavitch Emissaries in Brooklyn. The annual conference features workshops and discussions.

TOKYO -- Japan's richest man, Yasuo Takei, who retired in shame as chairman of consumer credit company Takefuji Corp. amid a wiretapping scandal, has died, a company spokesman said yesterday . He was 76. Mr. Takei died of liver failure at his home in Tokyo on Thursday, the Tokyo-based Takefuji Corp. said in a statement. Mr. Takei, 76, was listed as Japan's richest man, along with his family, in this year's Forbes magazine listing of the world's billionaires, with assets of $5.4 billion.

TOKYO - Director Yoshimitsu Morita, whose films depicted the absurdity and vulnerability of everyday life in conformist Japan, has died. He was 61. Mr. Morita, who won international acclaim over his prolific 30-year career, died Tuesday of acute liver failure at a Tokyo hospital, said Yoko Ota, spokeswoman at Toei Co., the film company behind his latest work. Mr. Morita's movies were distinctly Japanese, depicting the fragile beauty of the nation's human psyche and visual landscape while daringly poking fun at its ridiculous tendency for rigid bureaucracy and...