Hepatitis C Alliance

01/30/2017

The 2017 Open Enrollment deadline is Tuesday, January 31! We need your help: Share this ad from Healthcare.gov to spread the word and increase enrollment! youtu.be/odfd5qf9oiQ

The final 2017 enrollment deadline is January 31st. Most people who sign up for health insurance on HealthCare.gov qualify for financial help and can find lo...

05/29/2016

The Hep C Alliance is a community focused nonprofit organizations with a mission to create awareness.

03/24/2016

Arthur Conan Doyle's famous literary detective Sherlock Holmes once noted that "the little things are infinitely the most important." It's a belief that investigators at the University of Alberta obviously share. Whether they're seeking to understand the tiniest forms of life, taking small steps tow…

11/23/2015

HCV News
Week Ending 11/16/2015 & 11/23/2015

It's time to stop stigmatizing Hepatitis C patients and cover their treatment
'Recently, two important events happened for hepatitis C patients in Oregon. The Oregon HCV Treatment Access Initiative met for the second time, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a letter about increasing access for Medicaid beneficiaries to new hepatitis C Drugs.'

Montefiore and Einstein researchers awarded $14 million PCORI grant for hepatitis C research
'A research team at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine led by Alain Litwin, M.D., was awarded $14 million by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to determine how best to treat hepatitis C among people who inject drugs (PWID), a group with a high rate of infection.'

Modified Hep C Regimen May Help in Severe Renal Impairment
'Half-dose sofosbuvir (Sovaldi, Gilead) plus full-dose simeprevir (Olysio, Janssen) achieved an almost 90% cure rate in a small study of patients with severe renal impairment who were infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1. "This study is significant. Patients with renal failure, particularly those receiving hemodialysis, have an increased prevalence of HCV infection.'

Montefiore and Einstein researchers awarded $14 million PCORI grant for hepatitis C research
'A research team at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine led by Alain Litwin, M.D., was awarded $14 million by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to determine how best to treat hepatitis C among people who inject drugs (PWID), a group with a high rate of infection. A follow up portion of the study will also seek to understand why some patients develop resistance to therapies for the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which causes the damaging liver disease.'

U.S. FDA approves Gilead's hepatitis C drug for expanded use
'Drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc said on Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved the expanded use of its blockbuster hepatitis C drug, Harvoni. The drug can now be used to treat patients with subtypes of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and patients who are co-infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Gilead said in a statement.'

One-step test for hepatitis C virus infection developed by UC Irvine Health researchers: Related research shows blood or urine sample can be used
'UC Irvine Health researchers have developed a cost-effective one-step test that screens, detects and confirms hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Dr. Ke-Qin Hu, director of hepatology services, will present findings at the Annual Meeting of American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) in San Francisco, Nov. 14-16. Current blood-based HCV testing requires two steps and can be expensive, inconvenient and is not widely available or affordable globally.'

Hepatitis C: Looking for an Effective Regimen for Genotype 3
'Hepatitis C genotype 3 can be hard to cure, but researchers presenting a study at the Liver Meeting (AASLD) in San Francisco, CA, said they have found a regimen that works. Vincent LeRoy, MD, of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble, La Tronche France, and colleagues at other institutions reported on a trial known as ALLY-3+.'

The Risk of Developing Liver Cancer Even After Being Cured from Hepatitis C
'Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the cancers growing in frequency and mortality in the United States. Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) left untreated will often progress to cirrhosis and HCC. Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) now used to treat patients with HCV have achieved almost universal cure rates. However, the risk of HCC following cure is not clear. Researchers from Houston VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX) presented data at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases on the risk of developing HCC in patients with HCV who have achieved sustained virologic response (SVR).'

Grazoprevir/elbasvir shows high hepatitis C cure rate for people who inject drugs
'Merck's grazoprevir/elbasvir co-formulation cured hepatitis C infection in 92% of people who inject drugs (PWID) who received opioid substitution therapy in the C-EDGE CO-STAR study, according to a presentation on Sunday at the 2015 AASLD Liver Meeting in San Francisco. Participants maintained good adherence and had a high cure rate even though many continued to use illicit drugs.'

Leading Liver Doctors: Hepatitis C Patients Must Be Treated
'The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) issued the following statement during The Liver Meeting® being held this weekend in San Francisco and attracting about 10,000 of the leading liver specialists in the world: Over the past two-plus years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved multiple new treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) that offer nearly universal cure rates with minimal side effects. It is a remarkable success story for medical science. Unfortunately, many insurers - both private and public - are delaying access to new HCV treatments to patients until their disease has progressed and the liver is further damaged. There is no medical evidence to justify that position and much to justify treating all patients.'

No Drop in Hep C Rates Among European G**s With HIV
'Hepatitis C virus (HCV) acquisition among HIV-positive European men who have s*x with men (MSM) has steadily increased during the past 25 years, although trends vary by region, with evidence of a recent leveling-off effect in Western Europe, aidsmap reports. Researchers analyzed data from almost 6,000 MSM in 16 of the 29 CASCADE cohorts of individuals with well-established dates of when they contracted HIV. Findings were presented at the 15th European AIDS Conference in Barcelona.'

FDA Updates Hepatitis C Drug Label to Include HIV Recommendations
'The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced changes to the Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir) label - a hepatitis C drug that was first approved in October 2014. Harvoni is a treatment option for patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1, 4, 5, or 6. The FDA released a report outlining the major changes on November 12, 2015.'

New AbbVie hepatitis C pan-genotypic combination cures 97% - 100% in early study
'A combination of two experimental direct-acting antivirals developed by AbbVie cured 97%-100% of non-cirrhotic people with genotype 1 hepatitis C infection in a mid-stage phase 2 study presented this week at the 2015 AASLD Liver Meeting in San Francisco. The SURVEYOR-1 study assessed the effectiveness and safety of two experimental next-generation direct-acting antivirals. ABT-493 is an HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor active against all genotypes of hepatitis C.'

Why We Should Be Willing to Pay for Hepatitis C Treatment
'Hepatitis C virus (HCV), an epidemic impacting up to 3.9 million people in the U.S., could be a rare disease by 2035. How can we so confidently project such an outrageous shift? We can attribute this largely to two factors: updates in HCV screening guidelines and the launch of oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) to treat chronic HCV infection. The latter hit the scene in 2014 surrounded by controversy.'

Caring Ambassadors Program Inc.
Jill Wolf, LCSW
PO Box 1748
Oregon City, Oregon 97045

10/20/2015

HCV News
Week Ending 10/19/2015

Action Alert: Join Us for a Twitter Chat - Liver Cancer is Preventable
October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Join the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable and the Hepatitis B Foundation for a twitter chat, featuring hepatitis and liver cancer expert Dr. Robert Gish, on Tuesday, October 20 at 2 pm Eastern. We will be chatting about liver cancer, hepatitis B and C prevention and treatment, health disparities, and resources for awareness and advocacy. Join the conversation with the hashtag

Drug use has hepatitis C on the rise among suburban youth
'A resurgence of hepatitis C, a curable disease that is being found in he**in users, is following a national trend of increases in New Jersey, according to a new study. Hillsborough-based Infectious Disease Care conducted a study following the increase of this disease in suburban youth in the state, and presented the findings at national meeting of various societies dealing with HIV and infectious diseases.'

Drug Interactions between TAF-Based Regimens and HCV Treatments in Coinfected Patients
'"No dose modification is required when co-administering single-tablet regimens containing tenofovir alafenamide to patients with HIV being treated with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir for hepatitis C virus co-infection," said Joseph Custodio, PhD, Senior Clinical Scientist at Gilead Sciences, during a presentation at IDWeek 2015.'

Revising the Continuum of Care for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C
'We are all well aware of the progression and impact of HCV: (a) it has surpassed HIV as a cause of death in the United States; (b) it is the most common blood-borne infection in the U.S. and affects approximately 185 million people globally; (c) in the U.S., an estimated 2.7 million to 5.2 million people are living with HCV; (d) it increases the risk for fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and is a major indication for liver transplantation in the U.S.; and (e) it is associated with several extrahepatic manifestations such as renal disease, skin disorders and impaired quality of life.'

Upsurge in HCV Deaths Despite New Treatments-Hepatitis C mortality in U.S. outstrips mortality from other notifiable infectious causes
'Despite dramatic improvements in treatment, mortality from hepatitis C (HCV) continues to rise in the U.S., a researcher said here. In fact, annual HCV-associated deaths have surpassed the total number of deaths linked to the other 60 nationally notifiable infectious diseases combined, according to Scott Holmberg, MD,MPH, of the CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis in Atlanta.'

Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN) Announces Initiation of AL-335 Phase 2a in Genotyoe 1 HCV
'Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACHN) announced today that Alios Biopharma Inc., part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies (Janssen) has initiated treatment in a phase 2a clinical trial to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of AL-335, odalasvir (also known as ACH-3102), and simeprevir in treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.'

Ambulatory Pharmacies Move Into Specialty With HCV
'As increasing numbers of hospitals and health systems open their own on-site ambulatory pharmacies, specialty pharmacies may soon face more competition for significant segments of their market-with hepatitis C virus (HCV) topping the list of therapeutic categories used as a point of entry.'


Caring Ambassadors Program Inc.
Jill Wolf, LCSW
PO Box 1748
Oregon City, Oregon 97045

09/15/2015

Hep C Alliance Poker Night! http://bit.ly/1NBXdYB

WHEN: Every Thursday Night 6:00 pmWHERE: Parade Plaza Suite 138$20.00 buy-in contributionTop 3 players payout each weekChampionship in January Proceeds to Benefit Hep C Alliance, Inc.

08/26/2015

07/27/2015

HCV News
Week Ending 07/27/2015

Project ECHO: Force Multiplier For Community Health Centers
'Even with the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans struggle to access health care when they need it. A huge part of the problem is a lack of both primary care and specialty providers in rural and other underserved communities. Without local providers who can meet patients' needs, health care coverage does not necessarily translate to access to care.'

Area veteran can't get treatment for Hepatitis C
'Adam Shaffer, a disabled veteran with two tours in Iraq, discovered that the Department of Veterans Affairs has a cure for one of the things that ails him. Only thing is: He can't get it. "With Hepatitis C, the government doesn't have enough money to give veterans the pills," said the 30-year-old Shaffer. "They put you on a waiting list, and it's long. You can't get any treatment. It will kill you."'

Georgia launches HCV elimination program with help from CDC
'In collaboration with the CDC, the country of Georgia launched a hepatitis C virus infection elimination program with the intention of providing and treating people with new curative regimens, providing discounted diagnostics and improving ways for diagnosing and treating the infection in the region, according to a new report.'

FDA Gives Nod to Daklinza -Drug to be used in combination with Sovaldi to treat genotype 3 HCV
'Another hepatitis C drug won FDA approval: daclatasvir (Daklinza), for patients with difficult-to-treat genotype 3 hepatitis C (HCV). An NS5A replication complex inhibitor, the agent is indicated in combination with sofosbuvir (Sovaldi), which blocks the action of the viral NS5B polymerase. The combination is the first 12-week, all-oral therapy for genotype 3 patients approved in the U.S. Daclatasvir, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, has already been approved in Europe and elsewhere. Sofosbuvir was approved in the U.S. in 2013.'

Janssen Submits Supplemental New Drug Application to U.S. FDA for All-Oral, Once-Daily OLYSIO® (Simeprevir) in Combination with Sofosbuvir
'Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP (Janssen), today announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to update the label for once-daily, all-oral OLYSIO® (simeprevir).'

FDA approves Technivie for treatment of chronic hepatitis C genotype 4
'The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Technivie (ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir) for use in combination with ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 infections in patients without scarring and poor liver function (cirrhosis).'

OSAP to present webinar on the hepatitis C virus this August
'The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP), the advocate for The Safest Dental Visit, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), is presenting a webinar on the hepatitis C virus (HCV) on August 19, 12:00-1:30 p.m. CDT. The goal of the webinar is to bring dental teams up to date with HCV and new HCV therapies. HCV can survive in the environment for 16 hours on a dry surface and can be detected in saliva.'

County lacks up-to-date hepatitis data
'Data reporting delays appear to be hampering efforts to slow the spread of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) that is infecting people who share needles to inject drugs. In Delaware County, there were 152 newly reported cases of HCV in 2013 - a rate of 130 cases per 100,000 population, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.'

Caring Ambassadors Program Inc.
Jill Wolf, LCSW
PO Box 1748
Oregon City, Oregon 97045

06/29/2015

HCV News
Week Ending 06/29/2015

AASLD updates guidance for use of hepatitis C drugs
'The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), in partnership with the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and in collaboration with the International Antiviral Society - USA (IAS-USA), created online Recommendations for Testing, Managing, and Treating Hepatitis C in 2014 To aid practitioners treating patients infected with hepatitis C virus (CV).'

Editorial: Exchange program and awareness can fight hepatitis C
'May was National Hepatitis Awareness Month. Turns out it came a month late to Madison County. Just last week, the county learned that it is on the verge of a hepatitis C epidemic. Kellie Kelley, public information officer for the Madison County Health Department, reported that in 2013 there were 70 new cases of hepatitis C identified in the county, and the number increased to 130 in 2014.'

Deep sequencing creates distinction between acute and chronic HCV
'Deep sequencing accurately differentiated between acute and chronic hepatitis C virus infection, according to published study data. "Deep sequencing studies have demonstrated improved sensitivity for detection of minor sequence variants, compared to clonal sequencing, enabling highly sensitive, specific differentiation of acute and chronic HIV infection, but similar differentiation analyses have heretofore not been applied to HCV," the researchers wrote.'

AbbVie Announces New Phase 3b Results in Genotype 1b Chronic Hepatitis C Patients with Compensated Liver Cirrhosis
'AbbVie ABBV, +0.92% a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced TURQUOISE-III study results demonstrating 100 percent (n=60/60) sustained virologic response at 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12) in genotype 1b (GT1b) chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected adult patients with compensated liver cirrhosis.1 Patients received 12 weeks of VIEKIRAX® (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir tablets) + EXVIERA® (dasabuvir tablets) without ribavirin (RBV).'

Liver transplants in HIV/HCV co-infection: study underlines importance of hepatitis C treatment
'People with HIV and hepatitis C co-infection were significantly more likely to experience organ rejection than people with hepatitis C alone or HIV alone after undergoing a liver transplant, according to a review of 11 years' experience of liver transplantation in people with HIV and with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States, published in advance online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.'

Caring Ambassadors Program Inc.
Jill Wolf, LCSW
PO Box 1748
Oregon City, Oregon 9704

06/10/2015

KHN -What’s At Stake When The Supreme Court Rules On Health Plan Subsidies

http://khn.org/news/whats-at-stake-when-the-supreme-court-rules-on-health-plan-subsidies/?utm_campaign=KFF%3A+The+Latest&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=18242612&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Qs1aomiJ9DoaHPaX7wrA9DpKTCjT8clboMLhkpCWCkF34Gtpo7ZGVZGMch3CfPTIOFGrmCE08LaTtlpi7vp1wyqg8lg&_hsmi=18242612

A decision in King v. Burwell is expected by the end of the month.

06/01/2015

HCV News
Week Ending 05/25/2015

HealthWell Foundation's New Fund Brings Financial Relief to Underinsured People Living with Hepatitis C
'The HealthWell Foundation®, an independent non-profit that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, today announced the launch of a new fund to assist people living with hepatitis C (also known as HCV). Through the fund, the HealthWell Foundation will provide copayment assistance for HCV treatment, up to $15,000, to eligible patients who are insured and have annual household incomes up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level.'

Payer restrictions of HCV treatment contradict medical society guidance, are discriminatory
Hepatitis C virus is moving from chronic disease to curable; however, there are obstacles to eradication and "the hope of ending the hepatitis C epidemic kindled by the new regimens will be extinguished," Brian R. Edlin, MD, of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, said here. "This is a watershed moment...in the history of medicine," Edlin said of HCV treatment.

Help-4-Hep Expands Its Peer-to-Peer Hepatitis C Counseling Services by Offering New Mobile and Web App
'Help-4-Hep, a non-profit, peer-to-peer helpline where counselors work with patients to meet the challenges of hepatitis C, is launching today a new web and mobile app to bring its highly effective peer counseling services as well as a new self-care tool to more people affected by hepatitis C.'

Achieving SVR can lessen economic impact of HCV, save $3 billion
'By treating hepatitis C virus with the latest medications and achieving sustained virologic response, physicians can predict a recoup of nearly $3 billion of the estimated $7 billion financial loss seen in the United States, according to an expert here at DDW 2015.'

Following Hepatitis C, This Could Be the Next Disease Researchers Cure
'NASH, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, is often billed as the "silent liver disease," since many people with it feel well. But NASH, which is estimated to affect 2-3% of the U.S. population, can eventually lead to liver scarring, liver failure, and death.'

Patient Risk Model Can Help Target Costly HCV Treatment to Those With Most Urgent Need
A team of researchers at the University of Michigan Health System has developed a risk prediction model that helps identify which hepatitis C patients have the most urgent need for new antiviral drugs. Rallying baby boomers to be screened for hepatitis C took off as effective treatments emerged to wipe out the liver-damaging virus.'

Caring Ambassadors Program Inc.
Jill Wolf, LCSW
PO Box 1748
Oregon City, Oregon 97045
503-632-9032
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04/20/2015

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