Treatment Action Group - Hep C virus global access webinars

Join the Treatment Action Group in two dynamic presentations and discussions of key hepatitis C virus (HCV) access challenges and proposed solutions on the 8th and on the 10th of December.

Webinar #1: The Cost of Production for HCV Treatment

Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Time: 10 a.m. New York/3 p.m. London/10 p.m. Bangkok/3 p.m. Casablanca

Presenter: Dr. Andrew Hill, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Liverpool University, United Kingdom

Register for this Webinar:https://cc.readytalk.com/r/pykcaw8zkqst&eom

Webinar description
New HCV drugs, called direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), have few side effects and can cure approximately 90 percent of people in 12 weeks. But DAAs are too expensive for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where millions of people with hepatitis C need treatment to prevent them from dying of liver disease. DAAs have been priced at US$750 to US$1,000 per pill; a 12-week treatment course with these DAAs is over US$140,000. With these prices, how can universal access to treatment, particularly for people in LMICs, be achieved?

Dr. Andrew Hill will describe his team’s research comparing the chemical structure and steps to produce DAAs with those of drugs for HIV. They found that DAAs can be generically produced for a fraction of the market price. But patents allow originator companies to block access to more affordable generics for 20 years or more.

Webinar #2: Direct-Acting Antivirals Drastically Simplify HCV Diagnosis and Monitoring

Date: Thursday, December 10, 2015
Time: 9 a.m. New York/ 4 p.m. Cape Town/ 2 p.m. Casablanca/9 p.m. Bangkok

Presenter: Dr. Teri Roberts, Senior Scientific Officer, Hepatitis and HIV, FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics), Geneva

Register for this Webinar:https://cc.readytalk.com/r/hgajgm107610&eom

Webinar description

Teri Roberts will describe HCV diagnostics, pretreatment assessment, and monitoring during and after treatment, highlighting how much simpler these have become with DAAs. Because DAAs are safer and require less monitoring, they will pave the way for community-based HCV care models.

The webinar will include an overview of the diagnostic technologies in development that are suited to resource-limited settings and outreach work (core antigen testing, rapid and point-of-care testing, and use of dried blood spots) along with suggested advocacy points for the international community to drive forward.

Can’t make it? A recording will be available online here after the webinar.

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Thumbnail: CC Commons Elly Köpf