Revolutionizing Treatment Outcomes in Hepatitis C: Managed Care Implications and Considerations - A CE/CME Supplement to The American Journal of Managed Care

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences Inc.

Faculty

Yekaterina Opsha, PharmD, BCPS

Clinical Assistant Professor

Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Piscataway, New Jersey

Clinical Specialist, Cardiovascular Medicine

Saint Barnabas Medical Center

Livingston, New Jersey.

Gary M. Owens, MD

President

Gary Owens Associates

Ocean View, Delaware

Monica Shah, PharmD

Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Pharmacist

Pharmacy Department

Monmouth Medical Center

Long Branch, New Jersey

Zobair M. Younossi, MD, MPH, FACG, FACP, AGAF, FAASLD

Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research Liver and Obesity Research Center

Chairman

Department of Medicine Vice President for Research Inova Health System

Falls Church, Virginia

Activity Overview

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious public health concern that affects an estimated 4 million individuals in the United States and 185 million worldwide and is linked to substantial clinical, economic, and societal burdens. Approximately 80% of patients with acute HCV infection progress to chronic infection; possible sequelae of chronic HCV infection include cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and/or decompensated liver disease. The treatment paradigm and clinical outlook for HCV infection has shifted rapidly in the past few years and continues to evolve, with the introduction of recently approved agents and novel therapies, many drugs in the development pipeline, and the release of updated guidelines. Based on these factors, HCV has reinforced its position as a major contributor to rising healthcare costs in the United States and a focal point for specialty pharmacy and managed care. This supplement to The American Journal of Managed Care will provide an epidemiological and clinical overview of HCV, discuss current and emerging pharmacotherapeutic strategies for the disease, evaluate the burdens of HCV infection, and examine the new and evolving standards of care from a managed care perspective.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Discuss the importance of early assessment of high risk patients and early treatment rationale
• Distinguish new and emerging HCV agents and treatment algorithms and their clinical benefits in individualized patient management
• Outline the implications of evolving guideline recommendations in diagnosis and treatment on managed care practice
• Identify the cost implications of new and emerging therapies for HCV versus the costs of disease and standard therapies in order to better individualize therapy selection and patient management

Intended Audience

Managed care clinicians and administrators, including physicians, pharmacists, medical and formulary directors, and other managed care professionals involved in the care of patients with hepatitis C infection.

Release date: March 15, 2015 Expiration date: March 15, 2016

Estimated time to complete activity: 3.0 hours Type of activity: Knowledge

Physician Credit

Accreditation Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the University of Cincinnati and Pharmacy Times Office of Continuing Professional Education. The University of Cincinnati is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation

The University of Cincinnati designates this journal-based activity for a maximum of 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Pharmacist Credit

Accreditation Statement

Pharmacy Times Office of Continuing Professional Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 3.0 contact hours (3.0 CEUs) under the ACPE universal activity number 0290-9999-15-020-H01-P. The activity is available for CE credit through March 15, 2016.

Important Instructions for Obtaining CPE Credit:

To receive a Statement of Credit, participants must complete the pretest, read the article in its entirety and complete the online evaluation and post-test with a score of 70% or better before the activity expires. After successful completion and submission of the online posttest and activity evaluation your credit will be uploaded to CPE Monitor. You may view your credit within 48 hours at www.mycpemonitor.net..

NOTE: All steps must be completed in order to receive credit. Please ensure your Pharmacy Times account is updated with your NABP e-profile number and your date of birth (MMDD format). Participation data will not be uploaded into CPE Monitor^TM if you do not have your NABP e-profile number and date of birth entered into your profile on www.pharmacytimes.org.

For Physician credit (CME) only

Physicians Only

Start Activity

For Pharmacy credit (CPE) only

Pharmacists Only

Start Activity

System Requirements

PC-based participants

Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000

Macintosh®-based participants

Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

For questions about this Internet CPE activity, please contact: ceinfo@pharmacytimes.com.

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Information: www.pharmacytimes.com/terms_condition.