Modest daily consumption of caffeinated drinks is associated with less advanced liver scarring in people with hepatitis C, according to a recent study by Baylor College of Medicine researchers that appears online in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Dr. Hashem El-Serag, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Baylor and at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and lead author of the study, said the results showed that the risk of liver scarring in hepatitis C patients was decreased when individuals regularly consumed caffeinated coffee, and to a lesser extent tea and soda.
“We found that participants who drank caffeinated coffee daily had the best results,” he said. “This is most likely do to the fact that one coffee drink has more caffeine than tea or sodas.”
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See Also: The Five: Coffee
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
UK: Ten year drive to wipe out hepatitis C in Bradford
CASES of hepatitis C could be eradicated in Bradford by 2025, according to leading liver expert Dr Sulleman Moreea.
The consultant hepatologist at Bradford Royal Infirmary said the dream of wiping out the virus that could be affecting up to 4,000 people in the city really is "an achievable goal".
There are about 1,200 patients who have been referred to the hospital with Hepatitis C but the total number of people with it in Bradford is estimated to be between 3,000 to 4,000, according to Dr Moreea.
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The consultant hepatologist at Bradford Royal Infirmary said the dream of wiping out the virus that could be affecting up to 4,000 people in the city really is "an achievable goal".
There are about 1,200 patients who have been referred to the hospital with Hepatitis C but the total number of people with it in Bradford is estimated to be between 3,000 to 4,000, according to Dr Moreea.
Read more...
Maine sets a record for drug needle exchanges
The total hit 564,847 last year, up 238 percent since 2010, as heroin use surged and clinics like Portland's worked to prevent cases of HIV and hepatitis C.
State law has allowed needle exchanges in Maine since 1997, but the program only became active in 2002. There are four state-certified needle exchange programs, operating at six sites: Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Bangor, Ellsworth and Machias.
All of Maine’s programs operate without federal or state funding. Federal funding for needle exchange has been banned since 1988 (except for a period from 2009 to 2012) and states often don’t provide funding either, so the programs run mainly on private grants or donations.
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Weekly Special Topic: HCV Diagnostic Tools
HCV Diagnostic Tools
We have updated and condensed our HCSP Fact Sheet Series "HCV Diagnostic Tools" into one fact sheet:
An Overview of HCV Diagnostic Tests
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Janssen Highlights Hepatitis C Virus Development Programme at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)
Presentations include late-breaking final results from the Phase 3 OPTIMIST trials and interim results from the Phase 2 IMPACT trial of simeprevir
CORK, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), today announced that clinical data for simeprevir, its NS3/4A protease inhibitor for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, will be presented at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) taking place in Vienna from April 22-26. Early-stage data on the investigational nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitors AL-335 and AL-516, which were recently obtained through Janssen’s acquisition of Alios BioPharma, will also be presented.
Several key presentations will report on the efficacy and tolerability of simeprevir in interferon-free combination regimens in Phase 2, Phase 3 and real-world clinical settings.“Janssen has an extensive and ongoing clinical trial programme for hepatitis C, including confirmatory and new exploratory studies, and we look forward to sharing these results. We remain focused on investigating alternative and more immediate treatment options for patients with a high unmet need.”
“Hepatitis C remains a serious health problem. The breadth of data we are presenting at The International Liver Congress™ reinforces our commitment to reducing the significant burden of this infectious disease around the world,” said Gaston Picchio, hepatitis disease area leader, Janssen. “Janssen has an extensive and ongoing clinical trial programme for hepatitis C, including confirmatory and new exploratory studies, and we look forward to sharing these results. We remain focused on investigating alternative and more immediate treatment options for patients with a high unmet need.”
A total of 14 company-sponsored abstracts supporting Janssen’s marketed and investigational therapies for HCV will be presented, including three abstracts on simeprevir accepted as late-breaking presentations. The scope and rigor of these data underscore Janssen’s commitment to being a positive catalyst in the fight against this serious public health threat.
“These data highlight the strength of our commitment to advancing research in the area of viral hepatitis,” said Lawrence M. Blatt, Ph.D., global head therapeutics, Janssen Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, and president and chief executive officer of Alios BioPharma. “We are delighted to present additional data for simeprevir in combination with other currently available therapeutic options alongside early-stage data for our nucleotide portfolio.”
Studies on Janssen’s HCV portfolio to be presented at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 include:
Late-Breaking Poster Presentations
All posters will be displayed electronically from Thursday 23 April, 07:30 to Saturday 25 April, 20:00 in Hall B.
- A Phase 3, randomised, open-label study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 12 and 8 weeks of simeprevir (SMV) plus sofosbuvir (SOF)▼ in treatment-naïve and -experienced patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection without cirrhosis: The OPTIMIST-1 study1
- Abstract LP14
- Lead Author: P. Kwo; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- A Phase 3, open-label, single-arm study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 12 weeks of simeprevir (SMV) plus sofosbuvir (SOF) in treatment-naïve or -experienced patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection and cirrhosis: The OPTIMIST-2 study2
- Abstract LP04
- Lead Author: E. Lawitz; Texas Liver Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Simeprevir (SMV) plus daclatasvir (DCV)▼ and sofosbuvir (SOF) in treatment-naïve and -experienced patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 4 infection and decompensated liver disease: Interim results from the Phase 2 IMPACT study1
- Abstract LP07
- Lead Author: E. Lawitz; Texas Liver Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
- On-treatment virologic response and tolerability of simeprevir, daclatasvir and ribavirin in patients with recurrent hepatitis C virus genotype 1b infection after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT): Interim data from the Phase 2 SATURN Study1
- Abstract 0004: Thursday 23 April, 16:45 – 17:00, Hall D
- Lead Author: X. Forns; Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
All posters will be displayed electronically from Thursday 23 April, 07:30 to Saturday 25 April, 20:00 in Hall B.
- Significant drug-drug interaction between simeprevir and cyclosporine A but not tacrolimus in patients with recurrent chronic HCV infection after orthotopic liver transplantation: The SATURN study1
- Abstract P0834
- Lead Author: S. Ouwerkerk-Mahadevan; Janssen Research & Development, Beerse, Belgium
- Deep sequencing analyses in HCV genotype 1-infected patients treated with simeprevir plus sofosbuvir with/without ribavirin in the COSMOS study6
- Abstract P0780
- Lead Author: B. Fevery; Janssen Infectious Diseases BVBA, Beerse, Belgium
- Effectiveness of simeprevir (SMV)-containing regimens among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) in various U.S. practice settings: Interim analysis of the SONET study7
- Abstract P0826
- Lead Author: I. Alam; Austin Hepatitis Center, Austin, TX, USA
- Study protocol for a partly randomised, open-label Phase 2a trial of once-daily simeprevir combined with sofosbuvir for the treatment of HCV genotype 4-infected patients with or without cirrhosis (OSIRIS)8
- Abstract P1346
- Lead Author: M. El Raziky, Departments of Pediatrics, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- Baseline factors associated with increased SVR rates in 123 treatment-naïve chronic HCV genotype 1 patients treated with a shortened 12-week simeprevir plus pegylated interferon and ribavirin regimen: A multivariate analysis9
- Abstract P0792
- Lead Author: T. Asselah, Beaujon Hospital, University of Paris, France
- Clinical characteristics and outcomes of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients treated with newer direct-acting antiviral (DAA)-based regimens from a large U.S. payer perspective10
- Abstract P0852
- Lead Author: N. Tandon; Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Titusville, NJ, USA
- A descriptive analysis of a real-world population with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treated with simeprevir (SMV)-and/or sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens: Findings from a U.S. payer database11
- Abstract P0827
- Lead Author: J.B. Forlenza; Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Titusville, NJ, USA
- Real world effectiveness and cost of simeprevir- and/or sofosbuvir-based HCV treatments: $175,000 per SVR1212
- Abstract P0881
- Lead Author: K. Bichoupan; Division of Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Derisking the potential for mitochondrial toxicity of nucleoside analogs13
- Abstract P0679
- Lead author: Z. Jin; Alios BioPharma, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Preclinical characterization of AL-335, a potent uridine based nucleoside polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C14
- Abstract P0682
- Lead Author: H. Tan; Alios BioPharma, San Francisco, CA, USA
Press Release Source:
Study tallies huge cost of hepatitis C drugs for RI prisons
A new study finds that effective new hepatitis C drugs are so expensive the state of Rhode Island would have to spend almost twice its entire prison health budget to treat all its chronically infected inmates. Even providing the medicine only to the very sickest inmates who will remain in custody for at least another year would exceed the state prison system's pharmacy budget more than five times over.
The budget impact analysis, published online in the Journal of Urban Health, provides detailed new evidence of the "sticker shock" that states face in battling an epidemic that affects millions of people nationwide. The prevalence of the liver disease, which is often spread via injection drug use, is especially high in prisons. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court has obliged prison systems to provide inmates with care comparable to what is available in the community.
"The big problem is, even if you just take the most advanced disease, you can't afford it with the current correctional budget," said Dr. Brian Montague, assistant professor medicine and public health at Brown University and a physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Miriam Hospital, who led the study. "There was an option to defer treatment before because the [prior] treatments were significantly more toxic and the risks often outweighed the benefits. Now, with safe and highly effective treatments, morally and ethically there's no option to not treat, particularly for those with more advanced disease."
Read more.....
The budget impact analysis, published online in the Journal of Urban Health, provides detailed new evidence of the "sticker shock" that states face in battling an epidemic that affects millions of people nationwide. The prevalence of the liver disease, which is often spread via injection drug use, is especially high in prisons. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court has obliged prison systems to provide inmates with care comparable to what is available in the community.
"The big problem is, even if you just take the most advanced disease, you can't afford it with the current correctional budget," said Dr. Brian Montague, assistant professor medicine and public health at Brown University and a physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Miriam Hospital, who led the study. "There was an option to defer treatment before because the [prior] treatments were significantly more toxic and the risks often outweighed the benefits. Now, with safe and highly effective treatments, morally and ethically there's no option to not treat, particularly for those with more advanced disease."
Read more.....
Action Alert: Tweet the Surgeon General!
Hello Advocates:
This is National Public Health Week and the new Surgeon General is taking questions from social media until 2:30pm Easter Time today.
This is National Public Health Week and the new Surgeon General is taking questions from social media until 2:30pm Easter Time today.
There is an effort to tweet the same or similar question by advocates and patients from around the country. It would be incredibly powerful if we could all tweet something like this:
Here's a good Tweet or Facebook message to use:
With
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