Hepatitis C News

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Secretary Rebekah Gee of the Louisiana Department of Health, Secretary James LeBlanc of the Louisiana Department of Corrections, and Asegua Therapeutics have agreed on a model to implement the health department’s innovative payment model for hepatitis C treatment, according to a press release.

Treatment with Sovaldi and ribavirin was well-tolerated and highly effective in children aged 3 years to less than 12 years in pediatric patients with hepatitis C genotype 2 or genotype 3, according to a study published in Hepatology.

In a recently published commentary, Chelsea Elwood, MD, from the University of British Columbia, and colleagues advised that Canadian guidelines should recommend universal screening for hepatitis C in pregnant women as they do for hepatitis B and HIV to reduce the risk for vertical transmission.

Although not currently licensed for patients undergoing dialysis for severe renal impairment, researchers found that treatment with Epclusa for hepatitis C was safe and effective in patients with end-stage renal disease.

The CDC released an educational web feature and other educational resources for Pride Month designed to increase the awareness of hepatitis A outbreaks among men who have sex with men that have occurred both in the United States as well as internationally. The resources also provide information about hepatitis vaccinations.

Patients who received interferon-based antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C had a significantly lower incidence rate of Parkinson’s disease compared with untreated patients, according to an analysis published in JAMA Neurology.

Gilead Sciences Canada awarded a series of HCV Micro-Elimination Grants to 11 organizations focused on identifying individuals with hepatitis C in high-risk hard-to-reach populations throughout Canada and linking them to care, according to a press release.

Researchers identified a common polymorphism and a rare variant combination in hepatitis C genotype 3 that are responsible for a reduced response to Sovaldi, according to a study published in Gastroenterology.

Results from the EGALITE study showed that 12 weeks of elbasvir/grazoprevir was a highly effective regimen for treatment-naive Asian patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b infection and mild liver fibrosis. Those who were given 8 weeks of therapy had “substantially lower” SVR12 rates, researchers said, suggesting that only certain patients — like those with low viral loads and patients without significant resistance to NS5A inhibitor-containing regimens — can benefit from an abbreviated regimen.

VIENNA — In this exclusive video from the International Liver Congress 2019, Philippa Easterbrook, MD, senior scientist of the Global Hepatitis Program within the HIV Department at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, discusses a symposium focused on sharing “good practices and lessons learned” in the global viral hepatitis response.