Despite the strides made in anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy in recent years, nearly 50% of treatment-naive patients fail to respond to initial standard-of-care therapy. Retreatment with these same therapies has yielded poor results. Novel therapies are currently under investigation but remain in the early stages of the long timeline of preclinical and clinical trials and potential approvals. It will not be known for years whether any of these therapies hold the promise of greater virologic response. In the meantime, the growing pool of nonresponders and the expanding burden of HCV disease place an immediate need on the medical community to find and implement successful retreatment strategies using the therapies available now. The 2nd Time Around: Retreatment Strategies for the Patient with HCV Infection, a CME satellite symposium that was presented during, but not an official function of, the 55th AASLD Annual Meeting, addressed these issues. This symposium is now available on CD-ROM.

Our distinguished faculty will help you to use available therapies to improve the chance of success for your patients undergoing retreatment. We will highlight viral and patient factors-such as genotype and ethnicity-that may predict a lower chance of response. We will illustrate how to use HCV RNA results at week 12 to identify patients unlikely to respond so that retreatment with a different interferon may begin promptly. We will discuss the structural and functional differences between the available interferons. This discussion, as well as the results of retreatment clinical trials, will show the potential benefit of re-treating a nonresponder with one of the naturally occurring peginterferons (alfa-2a or alfa-2b) with the recombinant non-naturally occurring interferon alfacon-1 (consensus interferon). We will also point out novel therapies in the pipeline.

We invite you to order the CD-ROM of this informative symposium. Those who participated in the live symposium, as well as those who will participate via the CD-ROM, join the faculty in a shared commitment to caring for patients and providing them every means to achieve success in eradicating their HCV infection.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Carithers, MD
Chair

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Development Faculty

CHAIR

This activity is designed for hepatologists and hepatology health professionals who treat patients with hepatitis C.

Activity Goal

The goal of this activity is to provide clinicians with the latest scientific and clinical information on the retreatment of nonresponders to previous anti-HCV therapy.

Learning Objectives

After participating in this activity, the participant should be able to:

• Integrate epidemiologic and risk factor data into identification of patients at risk of being nonresponders to anti-HCV therapy.
• Develop appropriate monitoring strategies as part of an overall management plan to optimize outcomes in patients who have failed previous anti-HCV therapy.
• Incorporate an understanding of the mechanisms of action, safety, and efficacy of available interferon-based therapies into the development of effective treatment plans for HCV-infected patients who have failed previous treatment.
• Tailor treatment for HCV-infected patients who do not achieve SVR to improve response rates as well as other outcome measures.

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CME Information

Statement of Accreditation

Projects In Knowledge is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation

Projects In Knowledge designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 Category 1 credits toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the activity.

This activity is planned and implemented as an independent CME activity in accordance with the ACCME Essential Areas and Policies.

Disclosure Information

The Disclosure Policy of Projects In Knowledge requires that faculty participating in a CME activity disclose to the audience: any significant relationship they may have with a pharmaceutical or medical equipment company, product, or service that may be mentioned as part of their presentation; any relationship with the commercial supporter of this activity; if discussion includes 1) therapies that are unapproved for use or are investigational; 2) ongoing research; or 3) preliminary data. Faculty will disclose such discussion.

For complete prescribing information on the products discussed during this CME activity, please see your current Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR).

Robert L. Carithers, MD, has received grant/research support from 3M Pharmaceuticals, Amgen Inc, Celexis Corporation, CIBA-Geigy, Roche Pharmaceuticals, and Schering-Plough; is on the speakers bureau of Axcan Schwarz, Merck & Co, Inc, Roche Pharmaceuticals, and Schering-Plough; and is a consultant for 3M Pharmaceuticals, Amgen Inc, CIBA-Geigy, InterMune Inc, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

Tarek Hassanein, MD, has received grant/research support from, is a consultant for, and has received honoraria from InterMune Inc and Roche Pharmaceuticals; and is on the speakers bureau of Gilead Sciences, Inc, InterMune Inc, Roche Pharmaceuticals, and Schering Corporation. Dr. Hassanein has disclosed that he will reference unlabeled/unapproved use of consensus interferon.

Ira M. Jacobson, MD, has received grant/research support from Gilead Sciences, Inc, InterMune Inc, Schering Corporation, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International; is on the speakers bureau of Gilead Sciences, Inc and Schering Corporation; and is a consultant for Amgen Inc, Axcan Scandipharm Inc, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, First Circle, Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc, InterMune Inc, Schering Corporation, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. Dr. Jacobson has disclosed that he will reference unlabeled/unapproved use of peginterferon and ribavirin for nonresponders; peginterferon for maintenance therapy; consensus interferon, gamma interferon for nonresponders.

Carroll B. Leevy MD, has received grant/research support from, is on the speakers bureau of, is a consultant for, and has received honoraria from InterMune Inc, Roche Pharmaceuticals, and Schering Corporation. Dr. Leevy has disclosed that he will reference unlabeled/unapproved use of interferon alfacon-1 and interferon gamma-1.

The opinions expressed in this activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect those of Projects In Knowledge.

This CME activity is provided by Projects In Knowledge solely as an educational service. Specific patient care decisions are the responsibility of the physician caring for the patient.

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CD-ROM Today

This independent CME activity is supported by an educational grant from InterMune Inc.

This activity is designed for hepatologists and hepatology health professionals who treat patients with hepatitis C.

Activity Goal

The goal of this activity is to provide clinicians with the latest scientific and clinical information on the retreatment of nonresponders to previous anti-HCV therapy.