Hepatitis/MASH

Stephen Vogt, PharmD, Chief Executive Officer and President of BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy, discusses the ongoing debate surrounding the high price of Hepatitis C treatments versus the efficacy of the drug.

A study finds that patients co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy are 80% more likely to have serious liver disease than those with hepatitis C alone.

The cost of specialty drugs is driving increases in overall unit cost, according to an annual Catamaran Corporation report.

An analysis of several phase III clinical trials suggests that health-related quality-of-life scores decrease less when patients receive sofosbuvir therapy than interferon therapy.

Hepatitis C treatment guidelines have been updated to include several new drugs.

Therapies for hepatitis C, cancer, and orphan conditions are among the specialty drugs expected to receive approval in 2014.

In a phase II trial, combination treatment with simeprevir and sofosbuvir yields functional cure rates exceeding 90% in patients receiving 12 weeks of therapy-even among difficult-to-treat patients.

By offering quick and convenient tests for diseases such as influenza, HIV, and hepatitis C, community pharmacies could help improve prevention and treatment.

Bristol-Myers Squibb submitted NDAs for daclatasvir and asunaprevir. Although asunaprevir is limited to treatment of genotype-1 HCV, a combination of daclatasvir with sofosbuvir may be useful in a range of HCV genotypes.

Efficacy of standard dose can be suboptimal in patients with hepatitis C, study shows.

Patients with co-infection are 80% more likely to have serious liver disease than patients with hepatitis C alone, study finds.

Of the 3 to 4 million Americans with chronic HCV infection, only 13% to 18% have received treatment. Understanding the current guidelines in HCV treatment and understanding the current role of direct-acting antiviral agents is an important priority for pharmacists.

In 2013, many new medications and new indications were approved.

Should all patients should have access to all treatments, regardless of their cost?

Noting advances in hepatitis C treatment regimens, Walgreens expands access to its hepatitis C–focused patient care program.

A combination of daclatasvir and asunaprevir for type-1b hepatitis C virus infection has received breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA, meaning a faster path to approval.

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus varies significantly among different subtypes of Hispanics in the United States, a new study finds.

Fewer opioid treatment programs are offering onsite testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, despite guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending routine HIV testing in all health care settings.

With the approval of several new therapies in hepatitis C, by late 2013, the 2011 hepatitis C treatment guidelines were well out of date. A multidisciplinary group of infectious disease specialists and hepatology specialists have changed that with a website offering treatment guideline updates at unprecedented speed.

Saliva tests for detecting anti–hepatitis C antibodies may not be as effective in patients who also have an HIV infection.

Close on the heels of Vertex Pharmaceuticals' and Bristol-Myers Squibb's announcement of 4-week sustained viral response (SVR4) results with VX-135 and daclatasvir, Medivir AB and Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc announce SVR4 results with simeprevir, ribavirin, and samatasvir.

The combination of Bristol-Myers Squibb's daclatasvir and Vertex Pharmaceuticals' VX-135 shows early promise as an all-oral ribavirin-free and interferon-free treatment for hepatitis C.

Combination therapy using Bristol-Myers Squibb's daclatasvir and Gilead Sciences Inc's sofosbuvir has attained a sustained viral response 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12) in more than 90% of patients with hepatitis C, regardless of prior treatment.

Specialty pharmacists can help patients achieve successful outcomes in the treatment of hepatitis C by providing comprehensive clinical consultations on triple therapies.