Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Blog Updates: Pill testing as harm reduction, Vitamin B12 and Your Liver & International Liver Congress

International Liver Congress 2018 
The meeting will begin tomorrow! On Wednesday the "EASL Recommendations on Treatment of Hepatitis C 2018" will be released.

Just Updated April 11 - EASL Recommendations on Treatment of Hepatitis C 2018
Read the latest EASL clinical guideline publications in Journal of Hepatology, start by viewing EASL Recommendations on Treatment of Hepatitis C 2018 shared by @HenryEChang via Twitter, review all guideline links, here.....

Of Interest
Download The App - EASL HCV Advisor
The HCV Advisor is available in two editions. The EASL HCV Advisor will give recommendations based on EASL Recommendations for Treatment of Hepatitis C. The Swiss HCV Advisor will give recommendations specifically for Switzerland. Learn more here.....

Updated Today
Check out news from the conference with a list of websites (still in the process of being updated) offering coverage, meeting highlights, learning activities, with interviews and a summary of the meeting. This page will stay current as information is made available, watch the sidebar for updates.

New Online
MedPage Today
April 10, 2018
Clinical practice guidelines to include HCV tx recommendations, alcoholic liver disease

Hepatitis C: What Stands in the Way of Elimination?
The World Health Organization set a goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030. What are the barriers to achieving this for hepatitis C? Four experts weigh in.

Yun Lu, Xiuze Jin, Cheng-a-xin Duan, Feng Chang
DCV+ASV is not only an effective and well-tolerated regimen to treat chronic HCV genotype 1b infection treatment-naïve patients, but also is more cost-effective than PR regimen. DCV+ASV can benefit both the public health and reimbursement system in China.

On Twitter From @HenryEChang 
What are the research gaps when evaluating progress towards viral hepatitis elimination?
In this @jiasociety commentary, Drs. Anders Boyd, Léa Duchesne & @karlacombe highlight some recent advances & offer important perspectives.

In The Media
Hepatitis C: A novel point-of-care assay
April 10, 2018
One of the major challenges identified by the WHO in efforts to eradicate the hepatitis C virus is the diagnosis of chronic cases that are generally asymptomatic. Major progress is required for new diagnostic techniques that can be 'decentralized,' in other words accessed by populations and countries with limited resources. Scientists have now developed and validated a rapid, reliable, point-of-care HCV assay.

In Your 60s: Blood Pressure, Hepatitis C, Cancer Risk
April 10, 2018
In your 60s you are likely to have a long, healthy life ahead of you. Men turning 65 this year can expect to live, on average, to age 84.3; women, until age 86.6.

End-of-Treatment HBsAg Levels May Predict HBV Relapse in Chronic Hepatitis B
April 10, 2018
End-of-treatment HBsAg levels may be a clinically useful biomarker to predict HBV relapse in patients with chronic hepatitis B regardless of HBeAg status.

BMC Blog Network
Pill testing as harm reduction – a return to pragmatism in Australian drug policy
April 10, 2018
Pill testing involves party and festival-goers having a sample of their drugs tested on-site by scientists, who can then provide information to the user about what they are taking so they can make a more informed decision.

Pacific Hepatitis C Network (PHCN)
Hep C Resources in BC Project - Read the report "here."
The team at PHCN is happy to report that our Hep C in BC Resources project has recently drawn to a close. This project ran from last fall to the end of March. We are excited to share the full report of this project (as well as a summary version) "here."

CATIE
Treatment Update
CATIE’s flagship digest on cutting-edge developments in HIV and hepatitis C research and treatment.

HepCBC
Read today's news or a nice summary of notable headlines published in the latest issue of The Weekly Bull.

Treatment Action Group
TAGline Spring 2018
NEWS ON THE FIGHT TO END HIV/AIDS, VIRAL HEPATITIS, AND TUBERCULOSIS

Healio

World Hepatitis Alliance

Blog Updates
HEP Blogs
April 9, 2018
The high cost of hepatitis C treatment and lack of access to affordable health care are major obstacles to large scale and evenly distributed treatment. A recent study found that almost half of Medicaid patients were refused hepatitis C treatment. Moreover, there is a major inadequacy when it comes to screening people for viral hepatitis.

April 4, 2018
When you’ve been diagnosed with Hepatitis C or another liver condition it’s hard not to worry. Our thoughts naturally drift to thousands of questions and what ifs. Can you relate?

HEPATITISC.NET
April 5, 2018
I wish someone really knew the truth about how vitamins affected our liver. Do you ever just want an honest truthful answer? I’ve researched a lot, and can say, that for myself..

April 9, 2018
Many with hepatitis C, including many who have been cured, live with chronic pain and seek out ways to manage it. While doctors may prescribe pain medications, not everyone wants to take

How Did You Contract It?
April 9, 2018
Answering the most asked question given to those diagnosed with hep C: “How did you contract it?” The uncomfortable qustion This has got to be the most uncomfortable question anyone fighting hepatitis..

Going Through Rough Relationships After Diagnosis
March 30, 2018
Many with hepatitis C experience rough relationships after diagnosis. For myself, I went through a horrible divorce that really left me feeling alone, afraid, unattractive, and frankly sick. (All while in the middle of fighting for my life.) It was not that I blame hep C for this relationship ending but it contributed greatly to the dismay.

I Help C
April 4, 2018
I could look you straight in the eye, and yet not be aware of what I was doing. The world inside my head that didn’t always follow reality. Getting drunk produces the same results, but I wasn’t drunk. So does mental illness, but I wasn’t mentally ill. I had hepatic encephalopathy, or HE. Let’s talk about hepatic encephalopathy causes treatments symptoms.

Creating a World Free of Hepatitis C
Donate Life: Organ Donation and Transplantation
on April 5, 2018
It’s National Donate Life Month, and a time to increase awareness about organ and tissue donation. I am using this opportunity to implore readers to be organ donors.

Approximately 5-10% of people do not develop protective antibodies following the completion of the hepatitis B vaccine series. This is confirmed with a blood test called an anti-HBs titer test which is given 4 weeks following the completion of the series. If the test shows the titer is less then 10 mIU/mL the general recommendation is to complete the series again using a different brand of vaccine (e.g. if you received Engerix B, the first time, switch to Recombivax the 2nd time or vice-versa). A person is considered to be a “non-responder” if they have completed 2 full vaccination series’ without producing adequate protective antibodies.

On Twitter
It's time to get ready for Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month in May! Check out all the resources that @cdchep has to celebrate! http://ow.ly/Ms3130joKHt

CDC Hepatitis - Save The Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2018 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT
Preparing for Hepatitis Awareness Month? Join us 4/16 at 2pm for a webinar with @NASTAD and @HepBUnited to learn about available resources and get event ideas!
Register here: http://bit.ly/2G81Iwh

Harm Reduction Coalition

Amplifying Hope
Interviewing the Unsung Champions of Harm Reduction
Over the next few months we will be interviewing a number of influential harm reduction and drug policy reform advocates from across the country. These are the people who are working against incredible odds, are largely unrecognized and serve as inspiration to the wider harm reduction community. Our aim is to amplify hope by telling their stories, uplift the people and programs delivering harm reduction services, and raise awareness about the strength and resilience of the harm reduction community across the U.S.

HIV and ID Observations
Latest DHHS Guidelines for Initial HIV Therapy Now Include 5 Choices — But Really 2 Are Best
April 8, 2018
On March 28, the Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines issued an update to the HIV treatment guidelines, with a focus on the recent approval of bictegravir/TAF/FTC...

Al D. Rodriguez Liver Foundation
Lifestyle Mindfulness for Your Liver
April 3, 2018
Healthy lifestyle remains the best defense against non-alcoholic liver disease
Do you know that you or a loved one may suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)? You may not have heard of such disease — but NAFLD has become the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the United States, slowly making its way as the next global epidemic.

Harvard Health Blog
A study comparing a low-fat diet and a low-carb diet found that weight loss for both groups were quite similar, and both led to significant health improvements for the participants. Diet for weight loss was part of a broader strategy of lifestyle change for both groups as well.

In Case You Missed It 

Health News Review
April 10, 2018

FiercePharma
Physician payments linked to scripts for cancer drugs from Novartis, Pfizer and more: study
April 10, 2018
Many lawmakers worry that when pharma companies pay physicians—for speaking engagements, say, or hotel rooms at conferences—those on the receiving end are more likely to prescribe products from drugmakers that dole out the money. That concern even sparked a provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires drug and device companies to disclose any physician payment greater than $10.

Nature
A checkup for the flu vaccine
April 10, 2018
Influenza causes almost 650,000 deaths worldwide each year, yet a long-lasting, protective vaccine remains elusive. Global investment—both scientific and financial—in a universal flu vaccine is overdue. In this month's editorial, we call for a sustained commitment and global investments towards a universal flu vaccine.

Medscape
Single Quadrivalent Flu Shot in IBD Patients
Reuters Health Information April 9, 2018

Informational Links
Hepatitis C (HCV) Medications Blog
HCV Advocate’s Hepatitis C (HCV) Medications blog.
The intent of this blog is to keep our website audience up-to-date on information about hepatitis meds. People are encouraged to submit questions and post comments.

Until next time,
Tina

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