Out & About
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
The vice president of infectious diseases drug discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Richard Colonno, has had a smile on his face all week. Last Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved Baraclude, a treatment for hepatitis B that Mr. Colonno discovered. It is the company’s fourth new pharmaceutical approved in less than two-and-a-half years.
The news is good for Mr. Colonno and for the several hundred thousand people in America who have been diagnosed with hepatitis B and are going untreated. What’s at stake: More than 5,000 Americans die from chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis B-related liver complications each year. Worldwide, half a million people die annually from primary liver cancer, which is often caused by chronic hepatitis B.
“I’ve been celebrating,” Mr. Colonno said two days after the formal announcement. The researcher was standing in the ballroom of the Pierre at a fund-raising event for the Greater New York chapter of the American Liver Foundation, which was honoring him with a Spirit of New York Award. Later, at the podium, he shared his news with the 300 guests – a particularly attentive audience, since they were there to support research on hepatitis and more than 100 other liver diseases.
A molecular virologist, Mr. Colonno spent nine years developing Baraclude. One of the studies showed prolonged lifespan in infected woodchucks treated with the drug. The effectiveness of the drug was later borne out in human studies.
The chairman of last week’s event, Carl Deddens, a board member of the foundation, knows first-hand the benefits of good drug therapy. He got over hepatitis C in an 18-month course of treatment. Mr. Deddens thanked Mr. Colonno for his work and announced another great piece of news: The event raised $400,000 for the foundation.
Then it was time for dinner. The restaurateur Joseph Bastianich recruited his chefs to prepare a healthful, first-class tasting menu. Felidia’s Fortunato Nicotra got everyone started with an asparagus salad, and Babbo’s Gina DePalma finished everyone off with chocolate cakes and biscotti to take home.
