Category Archives: Advocacy

Advocacy

The Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project has been Updated

The Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project has been updatedThe Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project has been updated. Our drug pipeline diagrams have been updated for the month of August, a page about the next generation of hepatitis C treatments and a page for the hep C treatment Epclusa have been added, and details about new and emerging clinical trials have been added to the Clinical Trials Currently Recruiting in Canada page.

For those not Living in Canada’s Major Cities

There are clinical trials currently or about to be looking for participates in cities beyond Canada’s major cities. If you are interested in clinical trials for hep C treatments, but don’t live in Toronto or Vancouver, this may be the time for you to wonder about participating in a clinical trial.

Examples of Canadian Cities Hosting Hep C Clinical Trials

  • Vancouver
  • Barrie
  • Belleville
  • Brampton
  • Calgary
  • North Bay
  • Ottawa
  • Quebec City
  • Regina
  • Toronto
  • Fredricton
  • Halifax
  • Hamilton
  • Moncton
  • Montreal
  • Saskatoon
  • Sherbrooke
  • Victoria
  • Westminster
  • Winnipeg
  • Abbotsford
  • Kingston
  • Mississauga
  • Newmarket
  • Prince George
  • Richmond Hill
  • Sault-Ste-Marie
  • Scarborough
  • St-Jerome

Wondering about Participating in Clinical Trials?

Those participating in clinical trials must meet certain criteria, and, in addition to taking the drugs, are asked to complete questionnaires and submit blood work and other lab results for research purposes. As well as a commitment to the course of treatment, there is also a time commitment to complete all of the data collection required as a participant in the clinical trial.

For those considering participating in clinical trials, talk with a health care provider you trust about your options. Try to gather as much research as you can, and talk with other people who have also participated in clinical trials.

More Information

Interested in clinical trials? Beyond the Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project’s Clinical Trials Currently Recruiting in Canada page, there is also addition information about clinical trials on our Considering Treatment page and our Participating in Clinical Trials page. ClinicalTrials.gov is also a great resource and includes additional information about clinical trials being planned or taking place around the world.

Advocacy

Celebrate World Hepatitis Day with Free Journal Articles

Celebrate World Hepatitis Day with Free Journal ArticlesWorld Hepatitis Day is July 28th. Celebrate it by reading free journal articles!

Free Journal Articles Published by Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Hepatitis C Disease Burden in the United States in the Era of Oral Direct-Acting Antivirals

Immunological aspects of antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections

Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B viral infection in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Cost-effectiveness of hepatitis C treatment for patients in early stages of liver disease

Screening for hepatitis B virus to prevent viral reactivation — who and when?

Review article: safety and tolerability of direct-acting anti-viral agents in the new era of hepatitis C therapy

Systematic review: current concepts and challenges for the direct-acting antiviral era in hepatitis C cirrhosis

Early events in hepatitis B virus infection: From the cell surface to the nucleus

JSH Guidelines for the Management of Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A 2016 update for genotype 1 and 2

Hepatitis E: an emerging global disease – from discovery towards control and cure

Hepatitis B virus: new therapeutic procedures

Toll-like receptor (tlr)-2 exacerbates murine acute viral hepatitis

Hepatitis C virus-induced myeloid-derived suppressor cells regulate T-cell differentiation and function via the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway

Free Journal Articles Published by The Lancet

Editorial: Towards elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030

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*Gastroenterology & Hepatology content from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/subject/code/000059/homepag/world_hepatitis_day.htm?elq_mid=11083&elq_cid=2613383 retrieved on July 28th, 2016.

Advocacy

HCV and HIV Co-Infection – Transmission to Treatment Forum

HCV and HIV Co-Infection - Transmission to Treatment Forum2016 World Hepatitis Day is fast approaching. On July 28th, it will be celebrated and acknowledged around the world with special events. In Vancouver, for example, the Pacific Hepatitis C Network and the Positive Living Society of British Columbia will be hosting a community forum entitled: Hepatitis C and HIV Co-Infection – Transmission to Treatment.

Community Forum: Hepatitis C and HIV Co-Infection – Transmission to Treatment

“Hepatitis C and HIV Co-Infection – Transmission to Treatment is the focus of Positive Living BC’s community forum on July 28. This event is free and open to everyone, no RSVP is required. You are invited to drop in to learn about advances in hepatitis C care in Canada, and to meet new people and share your own experiences. Snacks and lunch will be provided. The event will run from 10:30 am to 12 pm.

“The forum will take place at the Carnegie Centre (401 Main St). Dr. Alexandra King, MD, FRCPC, Lu’ma Medical Centre and Suzan Krieger, Access and Assistance Coordinator at Positive Living BC will be presenting. The forum is produced in co-operation with the Pacific Hepatitis C Network.” (Positive Living BC, 2016)

Community Forum’s Details

Date: July 28th

Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Where: Carnegie Centre, 401 Main Street, Vancouver

For more information, please contact Brandon or phone 604-893-2239.

All are Welcome!

World Hepatitis Day

“Did you know? July 28 is World Hepatitis Day. In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) made World Hepatitis Day one of only 4 official disease-specific world health days, to be celebrated each year on the 28th of July. Millions of people across the world now take part in World Hepatitis Day, to raise awareness about viral hepatitis, and to call for access to treatment, better prevention programs and government action. The theme for World Hepatitis Day Canada 2016 is ‘Know Your Status? Get Tested – Learn Your Options’.” (Positive Living BC, 2016)

Please visit World Hepatitis Day Canada or World Hepatitis Day for more information about the global event. Please visit our blog post, 2016 World Hepatitis Day Events Around British Columbia, for information about World Hepatitis Day events taking place around BC.

Advocacy

Updated Recommendations

Updated Recommendations“All patients with CHC [a chronic hepatitis C] infection should be considered for treatment, regardless of fibrosis score. Given the potential impact on health system sustainability of treating all patients with CHC infection on a first-come basis, priority for treatment should be given to patients with more severe disease.” (CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee, page 2, May 18, 2016)

Updated CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee Recommendations

The Canadian Drug Expert Committee (CDEC) updated their recommendations for the hep C treatments: Harvoni, Holkira Pak, Sovaldi, and Daklinza. They now recommend that the liver fibrosis stage F2 or greater requirement for treatment through PharmaCare should be removed. Where once their clinical criteria for treatment with Harvoni, for example, read, “Patients must have a liver fibrosis stage of F2 or greater before they are eligible for PharmaCare coverage“, the same report sections for Harvoni now read:

Recommendation:

CDEC recommends that ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) be reimbursed for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (CHC) genotype 1 infection in adults, if the following conditions are met.

Conditions:
  • Treatment should be initiated by physicians with experience in the management of CHC patients.
  • Drug plan costs for LDV/SOF should not exceed the drug plan costs of other interferon (IFN)-free regimens for the treatment of CHC. (CDEC, May 2016)

Additional Noteworthy Updates

The CDEC also recommended/stated that:

  • Disease symptoms and other health concerns be considered when deciding to treat or not treat, or as it is written in the report, “Extrahepatic manifestations are additional considerations in defining disease severity.”
  • The more sever patients be treated first.
  • Treatment is likely cost-effective across all METAVIR scores. Detailed explanations of this are included in the recommendation reports (links below).

A Possible Next Step for Hep C Advocates

A possible next step for hep C advocates may be to highlight these changes and to ask governments, who follow the CDEC recommendations, to follow suit.

The Links to the Updated CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee Recommendations and Summary Reports on Drugs for Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

  • Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir)
  • Holkira Pak (ombitasvir, paritaprevir, dasabuvir, and ritonavir)
  • Sovaldi (sofosbuvir)
  • Daklinza (daclatasvir)
  • Drugs for Chronic Hepatitis C Infection: Summary Report

About CADTH’s Canadian Drug Expert Committee (CDEC)

CADTH’s CDEC is an advisory board made up of experts and public members (for a lay perspective) that makes recommendations to the publicly funded drug plans about what and what not to cover and how to cover it.

 

Advocacy

Clinical Trials Currently Recruiting Info Updated

Clinical Trials Currently Recruiting Info UpdatedWe are excited to announce that our Clinical Trials Currently Recruiting in Canada page was out of date. We are excited to announce that there are so many new clinical trials in the works for hep C treatments that our recently updated information about recruiting clinical trials needed updating again.

Our Clinical Trials Currently Recruiting in Canada page has been updated with new information about clinical trials recruiting or soon-to-be recruiting across Canada. While updating the page, what stood out was just the sheer volume of trials needing to be added to the list or taken off of the list of clinical trials about to begin.

Wondering about Participating in Clinical Trials?

Those participating in clinical trials must meet certain criteria, and, in addition to taking the drugs, are asked to complete questionnaires and submit blood work and other lab results for research purposes. As well as a commitment to the course of treatment, there is also a time commitment to complete all of the data collection required as a participant in the clinical trial.

For those considering participating in clinical trials, talk with a health care provider you trust about your options. Try to gather as much research as you can, and talk with other people who have also participated in clinical trials.

More Information

Interested in clinical trials? Beyond our Clinical Trials Currently Recruiting in Canada page, there is also addition information about clinical trials on  our Considering Treatment page and our Participating in Clinical Trials page. ClinicalTrials.gov is also a great resource and includes additional information about clinical trials being planned or taking place around the world.

Advocacy

The Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project’s New Address

The Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project's New AddressThe project’s new address is /.

Our Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project (Hep C TIP) has changed its website address. If your website or information collection includes information about our Hep C TIP, please update your links. If your website or information collection doesn’t currently include information about our Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project (Hep C TIP), please add it to your website and information directory.

About the Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project (Hep C TIP)

The much longed-for-and-awaited era of new hepatitis C treatment is upon us – and with it an avalanche of information about the wide array of new hep C drugs and hep C drug combinations.

We welcome this information! We know it heralds huge improvements in new treatments that are nearly within reach! And, we at the Pacific Hepatitis C Network want to help make sense of this new and rapidly changing world of hep C treatment.

The Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project is your web-based hepatitis C treatment information toolkit for entering into that world and building your understanding about hep C treatment. This resource contains information and resources about hepatitis C treatment, including:

  • Information about currently approved treatments in BC, Canada, and sometimes in the States as well
  • Information about new and emerging drugs and drug combinations for treating hep C
  • Information about the drug approval process in Canada and BC
  • Resources to help in getting ready for treatment

Contact Us

Please send the Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project any questions, comments or feedback you have that will help make the technical and complex information about hepatitis treatments as accessible as possible.

Also, if you have questions, feedback, or just want to connect, please do so by emailing [email protected]! Someone should get back to you within 24 hours on business days.

The Hepatitis C Treatment Information Project (Hep C TIP)'s New Address

Advocacy

Interactive Hep C Treatment Resource

Interactive Hep C Treatment ResourceAn interactive hep C treatment resource, Hepatitis C Treatment OPTIONS: Basic Information for Patients, has been created by Hepatitis Education Canada to prepare folks for what they’ll need to know to have a treatment discussion with a healthcare provider.

The tool works by asking a user to answer 3 multiple-choice questions and then press next. With the answers to the questions, it then lists what treatment options the Canadian Association of the Study of the Liver (CASL) might recommend according to the highest ‘cure’ rates during clinical trials.

The 3 multiple-choice questions asked by the interactive resource are:

  • What is your hepatitis C genotype?
  • Have you ever had hepatitis C treatment?
  • Have you ever been diagnosed with cirrhosis?

Before asking these questions, the interactive hep C treatment resource first explains what genotypes, hep C treatments, and liver cirrhosis are with the help of very short videos.

With the answers to the 3 multiple-choice questions, the resource tool then lists the CASL’s top 2015 recommended treatment options. For example, for someone who inputs hep C genotype 1a, treatment experienced, with cirrhosis, the tool lists the treatments Harvoni + Ribavirin (RBV) and Holkira Pak + Ribavirin (RBV) as treatment possibilities. The tool then lists links to more information about the listed treatment options.

The Hepatitis C Treatment OPTIONS: Basic Information for Patients is an easy-to-use, well-designed resource that is mainly intended for those who’ve not yet seen a specialist or don’t have access to one in their area. However, it can be used by anyone! Explore it and learn more about hepatitis C treatments!

Hepatitis Education Canada

Hepatitis Education Canada is a project of Hepatitis Services at the BC Centre for Disease Control with support from the University of British Columbia and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Advocacy

BC gives $5 million to expand hepatitis C efforts

BC gives $5 million to expand hepatitis C effortsApril 21, 2016 – The St. Paul’s Foundation, in collaboration with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BCCfE), the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), the Vancouver Coastal Health, and the University of British Columbia, has been given $5 million for a research study on how to reduce new infections of hepatitis C in BC.

The funding will be used to “help those at increased risk of re-infection with hepatitis C, by focusing on engagement with the health system, and it will help to evaluate the health outcomes with our current treatment regimens,” stated Health Minister Terry Lake at the morning announcement in Vancouver.

The research will focus on “individuals in Vancouver who have been successfully cured of hepatitis C, but who have been identified as at increased risk of re-infection. It will also evaluate the impact and outcomes of current hepatitis C treatments, and identify the next steps required to optimize treatment outcomes in B.C.” (BCCfE)

This hepatitis C research funding announcement was made today by the Health Minister Terry Lake and BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BCCfE)’s director Dr. Julio Montaner.

At the announcement, Dr. Mel Krajden, medical lead for hepatitis at the BC Centre for Disease Control, pointed out that “By understanding how to optimize treatment outcomes, we can maximize the individual and societal impact of these very promising therapies.” (BCCfE)

Links to More Information about the Announcement

  • Link to the full Press Release posted by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
  • Link to The Vancouver Sun article entitled AIDS expert to head $5-million research efforts on hepatitis C, includes quotes from Daryl Luster, president of PHCN
  • Link to CBC article entitled Hepatitis C research in B.C. given $5M boost

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Information from BCCfE’s press release

Advocacy

The International Liver Congress 2016 Part I

The International Liver Congress 2016 Part IThe International Liver Congress 2016

The International Liver Congress 2016 (#ILC2016), the annual European Association for the Study of the Liver meeting, is taking place this week in Barcelona, Spain. This blog post is a collection of just some of the topics that have already been discussed at The International Liver Congress 2016.

Topics from The International Liver Congress’s Start

Summary: The all-oral combination of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir with GS-9857, a drug in clinical trials, has been found to be safe and effective on patients who have had treatments fail for them. With the treatment, 99% of trial subjects achieved SVR12.

Summary: A discussion about the potential risks and benefits of treating those with late-stage liver disease. Dr Carlos Fernández Carrillo, Liver Unit of Puerta de Hierro-Majadahonda University Hospital, Spain, stated that, “The results of our study clearly show that those patients suffering from very advanced liver disease may not obtain benefit from these treatments.”

  • High rate of cancer recurrence found in certain hepatitis C patients

Summary: The study shows that those with hep C who had been previously cured of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, had a chance of the cancer returning during or after treating their hep C. Researchers say that more study is required.

  • One year after universal HCV treatment, Portugal shows 96% SVR rate

Summary: Last year the Portuguese government approved treatment for all of their citizens with hep C. 96% of them experienced sustained virologic response.

Abstracts can be found on the ILC 2016 website.

Press Releases by Pharmaceutical Companies from Barcelona

  • AbbVie Announces High SVR Rates with VIEKIRAX® (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir tablets) + EXVIERA® (dasabuvir tablets) Regardless of the Presence of Resistance-Associated Variants Prior to Treatment in Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Patients

  • AbbVie Announces Real-World Data with VIEKIRAX® (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir tablets) and EXVIERA® (dasabuvir tablets) from Large German Hepatitis C-Registry

  • AbbVie’s Investigational, Pan-Genotypic Regimen of ABT-493 and ABT-530 Shows High SVR Rates in Genotype 1 Hepatitis C Patients Who Failed Previous Therapy with Direct-Acting Antivirals

  • Merck’s ZEPATIER™ (Elbasvir and Grazoprevir) Showed Superiority on Efficacy and Safety Endpoints Compared to Sofosbuvir Plus Peginterferon and Ribavirin Treatment Regimen in Phase 3 Trial

The European Association for the Study of the Liver

Founded in 1966, the European Association for the Study of the Liver is the leading liver association in Europe. Their annual meetings bring together scientific and medical experts from a broad range of fields to discuss their research and findings.

Advocacy

Recent Updates to Patient Support Programs

Recent Updates to Patient Support ProgramsPharmaceutical Company Patient Support Programs

Pharmaceutical companies have financial assistance programs for people undergoing their specific treatments. Two of these assistance programs have been updated to include two new hep C treatments, Technivie and Zepatier. These treatments are available for use in Canada but are not currently covered by PharmaCare.

For more information about these programs, call the numbers provided or talk with your healthcare provider about eligibility requirements.

AbbVie Care Canadians prescribed Technivie can request to be enrolled in AbbVie Care. The program is designed to provide a wide range of customized services including reimbursement assistance, education, and ongoing disease management support. AbbVie Care will not only support people living with hepatitis C throughout their treatment but healthcare professionals as well. For more information, contact your doctor, nurse, or call the program at: 1-844-471-2273.

Merck Care Program For those who are prescribed Zepatier, Merck has Merck Care Program. For more information, contact your doctor, nurse, or call the program at: 1-866-872-5773.

A list of all of the pharmaceutical company patient support programs can be found at Pharmaceutical Company Assistance Programs.