In The News
December 8, 2017
Liver cancer incidence after HCV therapy linked to risk factors, not treatment
Li DK, et al. Hepatol. 2017;doi:10.1002/hep.29707.
Direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C did not correlate with an increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma in a large cohort study of both treated and untreated patients with or without cirrhosis. Those with incident HCC after DAA treatment had higher risk factors at baseline. “There was no increased risk for HCC as a result of having received DAA therapy whatsoever,” Raymond T. Chung, PhD, director of Hepatology and Liver Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “The risk was related to their preexisting likelihood of developing HCC. The fact that HCC developed post-DAA, we think, is more likely to be an accident of timing than the idea that it's related to receipt of DAA — these persons were at risk for HCC whether they received DAAs or not.”
Li DK, et al. Hepatol. 2017;doi:10.1002/hep.29707.
Direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C did not correlate with an increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma in a large cohort study of both treated and untreated patients with or without cirrhosis. Those with incident HCC after DAA treatment had higher risk factors at baseline. “There was no increased risk for HCC as a result of having received DAA therapy whatsoever,” Raymond T. Chung, PhD, director of Hepatology and Liver Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “The risk was related to their preexisting likelihood of developing HCC. The fact that HCC developed post-DAA, we think, is more likely to be an accident of timing than the idea that it's related to receipt of DAA — these persons were at risk for HCC whether they received DAAs or not.”
Commentary
December 7, 2017
Robert Greenwald, Ryan Clary
The American epidemic of opioid abuse is finally getting the attention it warrants. While policy solutions continue to be inadequate, the decision by President Trump to declare a national opioid emergency has helped to increase discussion about the problem and how the country can solve it. But the conversation also needs to address a dangerous – and largely ignored – interconnected public health crisis wreaking havoc among young American
The problem is that more Americans than ever are injecting opioids and inadvertently infecting themselves with hepatitis C. Shared needles mean shared blood-borne infections – and that’s how the opioid crisis has created a new generation of hepatitis C patients. The number of reported hepatitis C infections nearly tripled from 2010 to 2015, with the virus is spreading at an unprecedented rate among young people under 30 – who are now, for the first time, the most at-risk population for contracting and transmitting hepatitis C.
In the United States, an estimated 3.5 million people, and likely more, are currently living with hepatitis C. The virus kills nearly 20,000 Americans each year – more than HIV and all other infectious diseases combined.
The problem is that more Americans than ever are injecting opioids and inadvertently infecting themselves with hepatitis C. Shared needles mean shared blood-borne infections – and that’s how the opioid crisis has created a new generation of hepatitis C patients. The number of reported hepatitis C infections nearly tripled from 2010 to 2015, with the virus is spreading at an unprecedented rate among young people under 30 – who are now, for the first time, the most at-risk population for contracting and transmitting hepatitis C.
In the United States, an estimated 3.5 million people, and likely more, are currently living with hepatitis C. The virus kills nearly 20,000 Americans each year – more than HIV and all other infectious diseases combined.
Read the article, here......
December 2017
EVERYBODY IN, NOBODY OUT
By Tim Horn
Arguments favoring universal health care (UHC) are easy. Achieving political consensus as to the best strategy to achieve this is considerably more vexing. This is particularly true in the U.S., where the Affordable Care Act (ACA) patchwork of legislation and regulations has faced a barrage of executive and legislative attacks since the beginning of the year. And although the ACA and expansion of Medicaid in 32 states represents the closest the U.S. has come to ensuring UHC for its citizenry, it continues to fall short for millions of Americans, meaning that it must be either repaired or replaced with an entirely new system that ensures equitable access to care.
In the Fall 2017 issue of TAGline, we explore the political feasibility and sustainability of UHC in the U.S. UHC is, first and foremost, a human right. However, it will require robust advocacy to galvanize bipartisan support for guaranteed coverage and to rein in the high cost of health care and prescription drugs. But the potential merits are clear, notably in efforts to lower HIV incidence and end HIV/AIDS as an epidemic in the U.S. once and for all.
Download PDF
AASLD SymposiumReleased December 7, 2017
Watch - Breaking News On HCV Regimens: An Interactive Case-based Symposium
Hosted by Fred Poordad, MD; Robert S. Brown, Jr., MD, and MPH; Kris V. Kowdley, MD.
Hepatitis A Outbreak in California
December 6, 2017 | M. Kushel
(DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1714134)
Most people affected by California’s hepatitis A outbreak are homeless, and infectious diseases are one of many health threats they face. To address the root cause of their health problems, we will need sustained efforts to fix the housing-affordability crisis.
(DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1714134)
Most people affected by California’s hepatitis A outbreak are homeless, and infectious diseases are one of many health threats they face. To address the root cause of their health problems, we will need sustained efforts to fix the housing-affordability crisis.
Healio
“Now that we have [nucleic acid testing (NAT)] available, that should be considered in labeling the donors rather than hepatitis C-positive or not,” Khurram Bari, MD, from the University of Cincinnati, told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “NAT testing is a better indicator of hepatitis C positivity or negativity in donors ...
December 6, 2017
Treatment with Epclusa for 12 weeks resulted in high sustained virologic response rates among patients with hepatitis C genotypes 1 through 6, irrespective of baseline…National Health Care Spending In 2016: Spending And Enrollment Growth Slow After Initial Coverage Expansions
Enrollment trends drove the slowdown in Medicaid and private health insurance spending growth in 2016, while slower per enrollee spending growth influenced Medicare spending. Furthermore, spending for retail prescription drugs slowed, partly as a result of lower spending for drugs used to treat hepatitis C, while slower use and intensity of services drove the slowdown in hospital care and physician and clinical services.
Commentary
by Eric Sagonowsky
Dec 6, 2017
Drug pricing has been under a microscope in recent years as policymakers, market watchers and others look to determine what's sending costs upward. But a new report says retail spending on pharmaceuticals grew at a much slower rate last year than in recent history. Dec 6, 2017
Can hepatitis C be transmitted through oral sex?
Last reviewed Wed 6 December 2017
By Bethany Cadman
By Bethany Cadman
Reviewed by Judith Marcin, MD
Currently, there is no direct evidence to prove that hepatitis C is transmitted through oral sex alone. However, a person should still be cautious anytime blood is present because an infection can still occur. If either sexual partner has a break in their skin, there may be a risk of blood passing from one person to the other.In Case You Missed It
hivandhepatitis.com
Everyone with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection should receive direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C and should receive the same treatment regimens for hepatitis C as people with HCV monoinfection, new European guidelines issued at the 16th European AIDS Conference recommend.
December 7, 2017
PLOS ONE
HCV kinetic and modeling analyses project shorter durations to cure under combined therapy with daclatasvir and asunaprevir in chronic HCV-infected patients
High cure rates are achieved in HCV genotype-1b patients treated with daclatasvir and asunaprevir, DCV/ASV. Here we analyzed early HCV kinetics in genotype-1b infected Japanese subjects treated with DCV/ASV and retrospectively projected, using mathematical modeling, whether shorter treatment durations might be effective.
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Interferon-free therapy of chronic hepatitis C with direct-acting antivirals does not change the short-term risk for de novo hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis
F. Mettke, B. Schlevogt, K. Deterding, A. Wranke, A. Smith, K. Port, M. P. Manns, A. Vogel, M. Cornberg, H. Wedemeyer
First published: 4 December 2017
Full publication history DOI: 10.1111/apt.14427
AIM: To investigate the HCC incidence in cirrhotic HCV patients who cleared HCV with direct-acting antivirals vs untreated controls.
F. Mettke, B. Schlevogt, K. Deterding, A. Wranke, A. Smith, K. Port, M. P. Manns, A. Vogel, M. Cornberg, H. Wedemeyer
First published: 4 December 2017
Full publication history DOI: 10.1111/apt.14427
AIM: To investigate the HCC incidence in cirrhotic HCV patients who cleared HCV with direct-acting antivirals vs untreated controls.
On Twitter
The following article was shared on Twitter by @HenryEChang
In this study, we assessed quality of life in East Asian HCV patients who underwent treatment with an interferon-free regimen containing sofosbuvir+ribavirin, and found superior on-treatment quality of life scores of these patients during treatment and after achieving SVR.
Clinical Care Options
HBV Treatment at AASLD 2017: My Take on New Data
Tram T. Tran, MD
Clinical Care Options
HBV Treatment at AASLD 2017: My Take on New Data
Tram T. Tran, MD
At AASLD 2017 in Washington, DC, the rapid advancement of research in HBV treatment was on full display. Exciting new data were presented on both current and investigational therapies. Here, I have highlighted some of the abstracts I found most interesting.
*free registration required
*free registration required
HEPATITISC.NET
Living with Pain and Hep C in an “Opioid Crisis” Era
By Daryl Luster - December 5, 2017
Living with any pain, whether acute (shorter duration) or chronic (ongoing). In medical terms, these are two terms that are used outside of the strictest definition of their meaning. Having a broken...
Living with Pain and Hep C in an “Opioid Crisis” Era
By Daryl Luster - December 5, 2017
Living with any pain, whether acute (shorter duration) or chronic (ongoing). In medical terms, these are two terms that are used outside of the strictest definition of their meaning. Having a broken...
Hepatitis C – Buddy or Bozo?
By Carleen Mcguffey - December 4, 2017
I had been married to my husband, James, for 7 years before we had children, mostly due to the influence of the world around me, and also partly because of selfishness. I...
By Carleen Mcguffey - December 4, 2017
I had been married to my husband, James, for 7 years before we had children, mostly due to the influence of the world around me, and also partly because of selfishness. I...
The Holiday Season with Hepatitis C
By Editorial Team - December 1, 2017
Tis the season! The holidays can be a time of celebration, but the holidays can add an additional amount of stress for anyone managing hepatitis C and liver disease.
By Editorial Team - December 1, 2017
Tis the season! The holidays can be a time of celebration, but the holidays can add an additional amount of stress for anyone managing hepatitis C and liver disease.
Hepatitis B Foundation
HIV/HBV Co-Infection
December 6, 2017 World AIDS Day was last Friday, December 1st. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness about HIV and AIDS. However, it is also a great opportunity to discuss the possibility of coinfection with hepatitis B virus, HBV.
December 6, 2017 World AIDS Day was last Friday, December 1st. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness about HIV and AIDS. However, it is also a great opportunity to discuss the possibility of coinfection with hepatitis B virus, HBV.
Hepatitis B Updates
ACP, CDC Issue Guidance on Hep B Screening, Treatment
Vaccination, screening, and linkage to care can reduce the burden of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, recommendations vary among organizations, and their implementation has been suboptimal. The American College of Physicians' High Value Care Task Force and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed this article to present best practice statements for hepatitis B vaccination, screening, and linkage to care.
HEP - Blog Updates
December 7, 2017
By Greg Jefferys
A closer look at how HCV damages the body.
By Greg Jefferys
A closer look at how HCV damages the body.
December 6, 2017
By Karen Hoyt
Advanced liver disease can create problems with your dream time.
Advanced liver disease can create problems with your dream time.
By NVHR Staff
NMDC policy fails to list another potential penalty for a major offense: denial of lifesaving treatment for the deadly hepatitis C virus.
NMDC policy fails to list another potential penalty for a major offense: denial of lifesaving treatment for the deadly hepatitis C virus.
December 4, 2017
By Lucinda K. Porter, RN
Hepatitis C is curable, but it is not gone. Not by a long shot.
Hepatitis C is curable, but it is not gone. Not by a long shot.
Seasonal Flu
HIV and ID Observations
Paul E. Sax, MDWhy, Even with Depressing Predictions About Flu Vaccine Effectiveness, We Should Still Recommend and Get It
Each year, the print and broadcast media round up a bunch of experts on influenza and ask them to predict the severity of the upcoming flu season.
Most of the time their responses are noncommittal — predicting how bad the flu season will be year to year is tricky business, akin to picking stocks, making 12-month weather forecasts in an almanac, or naming the winner of the World Series during spring training.
Kevin MD
Make a difference by being a vaccine insister
William Schaffner, MD |
December 5, 2017
When a patient is diagnosed with a chronic disease, like diabetes or hypertension, physicians don’t merely suggest medications to lower blood sugar or blood pressure – they insist that patients take medications to protect their health. However, the recommendation to get an annual influenza (flu) shot to prevent flu is often not as emphatic. Research has shown that patients are much more likely to get a flu shot when it ...
Seasonal Flu - In The News
Flu season soars in the United States, especially in the South
Seasonal Flu - In The News
Flu season soars in the United States, especially in the South
By Susan Scutti, CNN
When we measure vaccine effectiveness, that's effectiveness against protecting against disease completely," said Schaffner, who was not involved in the CDC research, though he is a liaison representative of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which develops recommendations on the use of vaccines for the CDC."What's not measured is that, even if you get the flu in spite of the vaccine, your flu case is likely to be milder; you're less likely to have the complications of pneumonia, having to be hospitalized and dying," he said.
Canada
Early flu cases could be harbinger of a bad season: B.C. expert
By The Canadian Press, Vancouver Sun
The influenza season in Canada is shaping up to be a potentially nasty one, with a mixed bag of viruses already circulating in much of the country, say infectious diseases experts.
By The Canadian Press, Vancouver Sun
The influenza season in Canada is shaping up to be a potentially nasty one, with a mixed bag of viruses already circulating in much of the country, say infectious diseases experts.
Dec 7, 2017
According to the CDC, more than 6,000 people have tested positive for the flu so far this year, more than double the number of people infected at this time last year.
According to the CDC, more than 6,000 people have tested positive for the flu so far this year, more than double the number of people infected at this time last year.
Seasonal Flu - Journal Updates
Infectious Disease Clinics - December 2017 Volume 31, Issue 4, Pages 757–766 Influenza viruses cause significant morbidity and mortality in older adults. Prevention and treatment are critical for the reduction of morbidity and mortality in this population, but there are several challenges in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of influenza infection and its complications in older adults. This article will describe influenza, its epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic modalities, treatment, and current prevention techniques. Despite the identification of influenza early in the last century, much is still not known about how to protect older adults from influenza infection and its complications. Current treatment and prevention strategies are imperfect, particularly in older frail adults.
New England Journal Of Medicine
Chasing Seasonal Influenza — The Need for a Universal Influenza Vaccine
November 29, 2017
(DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1714916)
As clinicians in the United States prepare for the start of another influenza season, experts have been watching the Southern Hemisphere winter for hints of what might be in store for us in the North. Reports from Australia have caused mounting concern, with record-high numbers of laboratory-confirmed influenza notifications and outbreaks and higher-than-average numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.1 The number of notifications reached 215,280 by mid-October, far exceeding the 59,022 cases reported during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, according to the Australian Government Department of Health. Influenza A (H3N2) viruses predominated, and the preliminary estimate of vaccine effectiveness against influenza A (H3N2) was only 10%. The implications for the Northern Hemisphere are not clear, but it is of note that the vaccine for this upcoming season has the same composition as that used in the Southern Hemisphere. As we prepare for a potentially severe influenza season, we must consider whether our current vaccines can be improved and whether longer-term, transformative vaccine approaches are needed to minimize influenza-related morbidity and mortality.
Newsletters
Weekly Bull
Read The Latest Issue: Weekly BullHCV Advocate
December Newsletter
Highlights
The Liver Meeting by Alan Franciscus:
HCV screening rates among baby boomers
A study on a marker that could lead to a condition called multiple myeloma
Part B of the Co-Star study abut reinfections rates among people who inject drugs
Identification of new subtypes and a new HCV genotype
Adherence rates to treatment and the effect of being cured of hepatitis C
Long-term follow-up on people with no or minimal fibrosis who were cured of hepatitis C – what is their disease progression and liver cancer rates?
The Liver Meeting by Lucinda Porter:
Curing hepatitis C (HCV) and reducing liver cancer
Curing HCV and improvements in quality of life among people with hepatitis C
Increase in liver cancer in patients without cirrhosis
Fatty Liver and heart disease
Men who have sex with men and acute HCV
Mislabeling of herbs and dietary supplements
Parkinson’s disease and hepatitis C medications
HCV treatment and the risk of heart disease
HCV positive livers transplanted to HCV negative recipients
NVHR Newsletter
The New York City Hepatitis C Task Force
Hep Free NYC Newsletters
Hep Magazine
Hep Winter 2017 - Special Issue
Hep Winter 2017 - Special Issue
Highlights
Improving Long-Term Quality of Life
People who beat hepatitis C virus (HCV) see their health-related quality of life (HRQL) improve—and not just in the short term.
Improving Long-Term Quality of Life
People who beat hepatitis C virus (HCV) see their health-related quality of life (HRQL) improve—and not just in the short term.
Beating Hep C Improves Diabetic Outcomes
People with type 2 diabetes and hepatitis C virus (HCV) who cure the virus tend to improve their blood sugar levels.
People with type 2 diabetes and hepatitis C virus (HCV) who cure the virus tend to improve their blood sugar levels.
Adapting Risky Behaviors Is Vital
Among people with HCV, unhealthy behaviors such as smoking contribute as much to their higher risk of death as the virus itself.
Hepatitis C May Hasten Menopause, Lower Fertility
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) may compromise women’s reproductive capacity. Earlier treatment of the virus may help mitigate such related risks.
GI & Hepatology
NewsletterBritish Liver Trust
All Newsletters
British Liver Trust - In The News
UK Liver Disease Burden: The Crisis We Can’t Afford
A new report published today in the Lancet warns that the UK liver disease burden is continuing to rise, blighting the poorest groups and lowering economic productivity. Experts argue insufficient measures are being taken to control the main lifestyle risk factors driving this burden of largely preventable disease, namely alcohol consumption, obesity and viral hepatitis.
A new report published today in the Lancet warns that the UK liver disease burden is continuing to rise, blighting the poorest groups and lowering economic productivity. Experts argue insufficient measures are being taken to control the main lifestyle risk factors driving this burden of largely preventable disease, namely alcohol consumption, obesity and viral hepatitis.
December 6, 2017
Andrew Joseph
Before the development of the latest hepatitis C drugs, which are remarkably effective at curing the disease, the notion of eradication would have been implausible. That is no longer the case. But the virus is now being fueled by drug use, hitting patients who are the hardest to reach and have the least access to care and the pricey medications.
NIH News in Health
Until next time
Tina
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