Women for Positive Action Launch a New Educational Tool on 'Hepatitis and Coinfection in Women Living With HIV' to Celebrate International Women's Day 2015

LONDON, March 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

To mark International Women's Day (March 8, 2015), Women for Positive Action has launched a practical and informative new educational tool entitled 'Hepatitis and coinfection in women living with HIV'. Led by a global, multidisciplinary group of experts, Women for Positive Action is committed to addressing the specific concerns of women living with HIV. This new tool (download here) offers empowering information to coinfected women and practical guidance to those involved in their care.

In coinfected individuals immunosuppression exerts deleterious effects by greatly accelerating the occurrence of cirrhosis and liver cancer.^[1] The complexity of treatment, the double stigma of coinfection and the perceived risk of side effects are all known to adversely affect the emotional wellbeing of patients,^[2] and this can be compounded in many women struggling to balance work and family commitments.

"I have been struggling with HIV for years and when I finally got stabilised on HAART, I feared I would die from my liver because of hepatitis C. I failed HCV treatment two times and had to cope with unbearable side effects. Right when I was desperate that I would die from cirrhosis, I got cured thanks to the new HCV drugs - it was like being born a second time." A woman recently cured from HCV.

The HCV landscape has changed dramatically in recent years with the availability of treatments that cure a large proportion of patients^[3]; but too often women from high risk groups are left behind. This tailored educational tool will help support those caring for coinfected women to provide practical guidance and respond to their needs on aspects such as treatment, emotional wellbeing, access to care and pregnancy planning. This tool also aims to raise awareness of women and their inclusion in research and access to care in this new era of HCV treatments.

Women for Positive Action is committed to exploring and addressing the challenges faced by women living with HIV and those involved in their care. For more information visit the website, http://www.womenforpositiveaction.org and keep up to date with activities through Twitter @WFPA_HIV.

Notes to Editor 

130-150 million people globally have chronic HCV infection and up to 500,000 people die each year from HCV-related liver diseases.^[4] Five million individuals are estimated to have HIV/HCV coinfection^[4] so approximately 25-30% of those with HIV are coinfected with HCV.^[5] Coinfection affects a large proportion of women living with HIV.^[6] HCV is a rapidly evolving treatment area with a number of new therapies now available.  

Visit http://www.womenforpositiveaction.org for information about ongoing projects. Women for Positive Action is an educational program funded by AbbVie. All content is independently generated by the Women for Positive Action faculty experts reflecting their knowledge and opinions.

References  

1. WHO. Hepatitis C Fact Sheet No.164, April 2014.
2. Pereira M et al. AIDS Care 2014;26:56-64.
3. Wendt A & Bourlière M. Ther Adv Infect Dis 2013;1:191-208.
4. Operskalski E et al. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 2011;8:12-22.
5. Alter MJ. J Hepatol 2006;44:S6-9.
6. Tremeau-Bravard A et al. Afr Health Sci 2012;12:312-317.

For further information please contact the Women for Positive Action Secretariat:
Email: WFPA@litmus-mme.com
Tel: +44-(0)20-7632-1924
Twitter: @WFPA_HIV

SOURCE Women for Positive Action

Press Release Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/women-for-positive-action-launch-a-new-educational-tool-on-hepatitis-and-coinfection-in-women-living-with-hiv-to-celebrate-international-womens-day-2015-295303061.html 

Global Health Justice Partnership calls for action to lower drug prices

Yale’s Global Health Justice Partnership has released a report warning the international community that scientific discoveries will not be enough to prevent the over 500,000 deaths that occur every year from Hepatitis C.

Last week, in partnership with the AIDS policy think tank Treatment Action Group and the Initiative for Medicines, Access and Knowledge, which aims to increase access to medicines worldwide, the GHJP cautioned that despite the development of Sovaldi — a Hepatitis C drug, marketed since 2013, with a 96 percent efficacy rate in some patients — there are numerous remaining hurdles to ending the “silent epidemic” of Hepatitis C, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In their report, “Ending an Epidemic: Overcoming the Barriers to an HCV Free Future,” the four lead student authors advocated for legal, economic and political solutions to the challenge.

“The bottom line takeaway is that if you make a breakthrough, there is no guarantee that it will get to everyone,” said co-author Kyle Ragins MED ’15 SOM ’15 . “You need innovation in your intellectual property law, your financing and the way care is delivered.”

Read more....

State OKs new Hep C drug for Medicaid patients

Two drugs now available, but cost difference unclear

During the latter portion of 2014, Oregon officials and Hepatitis C patient advocates debated who would be able to receive a new, highly effective yet prohibitively expensive drug under the state’s Medicaid program.

Officials approved criteria that restricted the drug, Sovaldi, to very sick patients, with the caveat that they’d take up the issue again once new, perhaps more affordable drugs hit the market.

That appears to have happened sooner than expected. The director of the Oregon Health Authority, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Plan, approved new criteria this month that permits some OHP beneficiaries with Hepatitis C to access a new drug: Harvoni. Hepatitis C is a disease that causes inflammation of the liver and can lead to liver failure or liver cancer.  

Read more...

Pakistan: Hepatitis C medication: Govt slashes Sovaldi’s price

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday announced a reduction in the price of Sovaldi — the ‘breakthrough drug’ for Hepatitis C. State minister for health Saira Tarar announced that the current price of Rs55,000 has been slashed and the drug would now be available at Rs32,300 per bottle, according to a press release. Tarar said the measure will benefit over 10 million Hepatitis C patients across Pakistan and the ministry will ensure that an adequate quantity of the drug is available within six weeks.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2015.

Read more...

Hope In Hepatitis C Pandemic

Hepatitis C is a worldwide issue with an estimated three million infected people in the United States alone. Treatment for hepatitis C is difficult, with sometimes severe side effects, and medications are expensive, limiting treatment to those who can afford it. However, recent advances in clinical trials and changes by drug manufacturers could change the way hepatitis C is treated in the near future.

Read more of this interesting overview at http://www.inquisitr.com/1886276/hope-in-hepatitis-c-pandemic/#HTpRj4rVVYAZTyp3.99

Snapshots—Lucinda K. Porter, RN

Article: Systematic Review: Patient-Reported Outcomes in Chronic Hepatitis C - The Impact of Liver Disease and New Treatment Regimens - Z. Younossi and L. Henry
  Source: Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics January 23, 2015

How do we measure successful hepatitis C (HCV) treatment? Is it strictly by clinical trial data showing how safe and effective a treatment is? Alternatively, is it by patients’ experiences, outcomes, and overall quality of life? This ambitious study examined patients’ experiences of living with hepatitis C and its treatment. 

They found that current data support the fact that HCV patients suffer substantially. This burden was much worse during interferon/ribavirin treatment and worse yet if that treatment used telaprevir or boceprevir. The newer interferon-free treatments showed that patients reported improvements in quality of life and productivity; and even bigger improvements with ribavirin-free regimens. Patients who reported easier treatment were more likely to complete therapy and respond to it.

This study also looked at fibrosis stage, finding significant fatigue and impairment among those with early stage liver disease. Patients with early fibrosis reported significant benefits, similar to the gains achieved by those with advanced fibrosis.

 

The Bottom Line: Using fibrosis stage to limit the cost of HCV treatment does not take in to account the other costs of HCV, such as its effect on work productivity, quality of life, etc.

 

Editorial Comment: This study validates what patients have been reporting for decades—that having hepatitis C is hard, and that the newer treatments offer hope for improved quality of life. Denying access to treatment violates human rights.

Article: Seven Years of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection in an HIV-Infected Man without Detectable Antibodies – Joost Vanhommerig, et al.
  Source: AIDS 2015, Vol 29 No 3

After an HCV exposure, about half of those exposed will form antibodies in 5 to 10 weeks.

It averages 10 to 13 weeks for HCV antibodies to be detectable in HCV/HIV-coinfected men who have sex with men (MSM). There have been reports of some HIV-infected individuals for whom HCV antibodies didn’t show up for more than 3 years. In this case study, an HIV-positive man had positive HCV viral load results for 7 years but never had a positive HCV-antibody test result. 

The Bottom Line: These researchers recommend HCV viral load testing rather than relying solely on antibody testing for HIV-infected MSM.

 

Editorial Comment: I am both fascinated and irritated when there are rare exceptions in medical science, but they do exist. 

Article: Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Risk Factor for Parkinson’s Disease – Wendy Wu, et al.
  Source: Journal of Viral Hepatitis January 21, 2015

Recent evidence indicates that HCV may invade the central nervous system.  In rat studies, researchers observed that HCV and Parkinson’s disease both overexpress inflammatory biomarkers. Analyzing data from 62,276 subjects, researchers found similarities between HCV and Parkinson’s.

 

The Bottom Line: This study demonstrated an association between HCV infection and Parkinson’s and confirms the observation of dopaminergic toxicity of HCV similar to that found in rats.

 

Editorial Comment: As horrifying as these results are, perhaps this research will shed light on the nature of “brain fog,” which is experienced by so many HCV patients. 

Article: Hepatitis A hospitalizations in the United States, 2002-2011 – Melissa Collier, et al.
  Source: Hepatology February 2015

This study reviewed hospitalization rates for hepatitis A from 2002-2011. The number of hepatitis A-related hospitalizations hasdeclined significantly, but patients who are hospitalized for hepatitis A are older and more likely to have liver diseases and other comorbid medical conditions.

 

The Bottom Line: Immunization could prevent hepatitis A infection and ensuing hospitalizations.

 
Editorial Comment: Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for hepatitis C patients.

http://hcvadvocate.org/news/newsLetter/2015/advocate0315.html#4

NVHR Webinar: Navigating Hepatitis C: What Patients Need To Know

NVHR Webinar:
Navigating Hepatitis C: What Patients Need To Know
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
2 pm Eastern

Join us for our upcoming webinar Navigating Hepatitis C: What Patients Need to Know. This webinar will cover the most important elements that patients need to know regarding screening, access to care, receiving and paying for treatment, and living with hepatitis C. Our speakers include Bruce Burkett of HepC Alliance, Lucinda Porter of the Hepatitis C Support Project and Hep Magazine; Robin Lord Smith of the Hepatitis C Association and Help-4-Hep (a program of The Support Partnership); and Ronni Marks of Hepatitis C Mentor & Support Group.

You can register for the webinar here. Space is limited.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please also visit our newly redesigned Hepatitis C Baby Boomer Resources Page!

For more information about this webinar or the resource page, contact Tina Broder, Senior Program Manager.