HCV News
Week Ending 03/16/2015
Depression, poor mental health linked to stress, antiviral therapy in HCV patients
'Depression and poor mental and physical health were associated with stressful life events, low social support and other socioeconomic and demographic factors in patients with hepatitis C virus infection enrolled in the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study.'
Hepatitis C on the rise in the Northland; concerns focused on baby boomers and people younger than 30
'Eight doesn't seem like a lot, but eight cases of hepatitis C virus in Duluth caught the attention of state health officials. "Duluth actually is an area we've been looking at for a little while," said Kristin Sweet, hepatitis unit supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Health.'
Drug Spending Largely Driven by HCV Drugs, Compounded Medications
'Just 2 therapy classes are responsible for more than half of the increase in overall prescription drug spending in the United States, reported Express Scripts. In 2014, hepatitis C therapies and compounded medications drove a 13.1% increase in drug spending. Without those 2 therapy classes, the year over year increase in per capita drug spending was just 6.4% last year. While annual drug spending increases have remained low compared to the annual rate of overall healthcare inflation, large increases in medication prices are about to change that.'
NIH awards $1.2 million grant for rapid HCV test
'The National Institutes of Health awarded a phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research grant worth $1.2 million to Daktari Diagnostics to develop a point-of-care hepatitis C virus infection diagnostic, according to a press release from the diagnostic company. The grant will ensure the HCV viral load test is fast and portable, enabling it to impact care in remote areas, according to the release.'
Hepatitis C a focus at CROI
'New interferon-free treatment can cure nearly 100 percent of HIV-positive people coinfected with hepatitis C virus, researchers reported at the recent 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle. But another study showed that delaying treatment results in a higher risk of liver-related complications and death even after being cured.'
Combo Hepatitis C Genotype 3 Tx To Be Reviewed By FDA
'Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the resubmitted New Drug Application (NDA) of daclatasvir in combination with sofosbuvir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) genotype 3.
