Current Issues and Future Strategies in the Identification and Management of the HCV Infected Patient

Course Director

Charles P. Bongiorno, MD, FACP, FACG

Chief, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology
UMDNJ School of Medicine
Stratford, NJ

Faculty

Santiago J. Munoz, MD

Professor of Medicine
Temple University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA

Sammy Saab, MD, MPH, AGAF

Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Head, Outcomes Research in Hepatology
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Los Angeles, CA

Accredited by

This activity is jointly sponsored by Global Education Group and Medical Dialogues Group.

Agenda

Introduction: 5 minutes
Monograph: 45 minutes
Post-test & Evaluation: 10 minutes

Target Audience

The educational design of this activity addresses the needs of hepatologists and gastroenterologists as well as infectious disease specialists, internists, family practitioners, nurses, and other healthcare providers who are involved in the care of patients infected with HCV.

Activity Description

This CME/CE monograph is a full review and summarization of the scientific and clinical discussion surrounding the needs assessment, learning objectives. The monograph also includes pertinent updated information relevant to the treatment area and targeted audience, including updated information from the most current major scientific meetings in the areas of gastroenterology/hepatology and infectious disease.

Purpose of Program

The goal of this activity is to provide participants with the most current epidemiologic data regarding hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as well currently available treatment options for those who are infected with the virus. This activity will present current information on critical issues that influence the success or failure of HCV treatment and help to guide clinicians as to an optimal HCV treatment decision course that will provide patients with the best possible outcome.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, the participant will be able to:

• Identify those patients at risk for having undiagnosed hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and the recently published and revised estimates of HCV prevalence in the general population as well as in populations at high risk.
• Define the terms used to measure treatment effectiveness in treatment-related clinical trials (e.g., rapid virologic response [RVR], early virologic response [EVR], and sustained virologic response [SVR]).
• Review the latest information on the use of triple therapeutic regimens such as the recently approved protease inhibitors with peg-interferon alfa and ribavirin, and other agents soon to become available.
• Describe the factors to consider in selecting a therapeutic strategy in the patient who was a partial responder, a relapser, or a null responder following a prior anti-HCV dual treatment regimen.

Statement of Need and Learner's Gap

The choice of management and treatment of patients who have received previous HCV treatment is based upon factors such as the type of previous therapy as well as their RVR/EVR and SVR response. In non-responders and relapsers, as well as other sub-populations of HCV-infected individuals such as those with HCV genotype 1 and those with advanced liver disease, the development and availability of new therapeutic agents and strategies is critical for improved outcomes as re-initiation with standard therapies has limited efficacy in these groups. Further, ongoing studies are helping to determine whether the RVR/EVR can predict a SVR in the patient who is a non-responder or a relapser, and how this information may then be used to guide and individualize the treatment regimen.

HCV now has several primary treatment options, although only one is considered the standard, and a growing list of secondary treatment options for those who failed to respond to the selected primary treatment option or those who have experienced a viral relapse following completion of their primary treatment option. These situations present physicians as well as other healthcare providers with several important decisions; specifically, who to treat, when and with what to use as the initial treatment regimen, and how to best manage the patient who fails the initial therapy or experiences a viral load relapse.

Accreditation Statement for Physicians

Physician Accreditation Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Global Education Group (Global) and Medical Dialogues Group. Global is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Accreditation Statement for Nurses

Nursing Continuing Education

CNA/ANCC

This educational activity for 1.0 contact hours is provided by Global Education Group.

Global Education Group is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Colorado Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Physician Credit Designation

Global Education Group designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses Credit Designation

Nurses may only claim full credit upon successful completion of this activity.

Commercial Support

Supported by an educational grant from Genentech.

Conflict of Interest Statement

Global Education Group (Global) requires instructors, planners, managers and other individuals and their spouse/life partner who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest they may have as related to the content of this activity. All identified conflicts of interest are thoroughly vetted by Global for fair balance, scientific objectivity of studies mentioned in the materials or used as the basis for content, and appropriateness of patient care recommendations.

The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:

The planners and managers reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. Global Education Group (Global) and Medical Dialogues Group do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization associated with this activity. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Instructions for Receiving Credit

In order to receive credit for this activity, participants must read the entire monograph, complete the post-test, and complete an evaluation. Learners with a passing score of 80 or more will be issued a certificate of credit.

Please be ready to print your certificate at this time.

Hardware / Software Requirements

Windows: Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 1.x and later, Safari 3, Google Chrome, Opera 9.5
Macintosh: Firefox 1.x and later, Safari 3
Linux: Firefox 1.x

Contact Information for Questions about the Activity

For information about the accreditation of this program, please contact Global at 303-395-1782 or inquire@globaleducationgroup.com.