NIH recognizes super siblings
Episode # 107
Uploaded: August 15, 2012
Running Time: 3:17
CROWN: From the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, this is CLINICAL CENTER RADIO. Hepatitis B is a global health issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that chronic Hepatitis B affects approximately 350 million people and contributes to an estimated 620,000 deaths worldwide each year. Dr. Michele Tana, NIH clinical fellow explains:
TANA:Hepatitis B is a virus that affects the liver. It causes inflammation, which over time can lead to other problems. It puts people at risk for liver cancer. It also over time can cause scarring in the liver, which is also known as fibrosis. And fibrosis as it progresses can ultimately lead to cirrhosis.
CROWN:While there is no cure for Hepatitis B, several drugs have been approved to treat it. Tana is part of a research team with the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases that is prospectively studying the withdrawal of therapy after long-term antiviral treatment for chronic Hepatitis B.
TANA:The objective of this study is to determine when and in whom and under what conditions treatment for Hepatitis B can be safely stopped.
CROWN:Tana explains that current guidelines are unsure how long a person with Hepatitis B should stay on antiviral therapy. Indefinite treatment is the current practice for many patients but this may not be the best option in all cases.
TANA:There would be a lot of potential benefits to figuring out when we can safely stop therapy, such as less side effects. Any medication has [the risk of] side effects. Another is cost. These medications are expensive and life-long therapy is very expensive. A lot of patients have trouble affording it in the first place. But what is even worse is when patients start the medication, and because they can’t afford it have to stop the medication prematurely. Then that leads us to another reason why it would be good to get some patients off of therapy is viral resistance with long-term exposure to medications. And then there is just pill burden. A lot of patients don’t like taking a pill every day and they don’t like the idea that they are going to have to take a pill everyday for the rest of their lives.
CROWN:This study is including adults who have hepatitis b and have been on antiviral therapy for at least 4 years. There are other eligibility criteria. If you would like to learn more, log on to ClinicalCenter.nih.gov. Refer to protocol number 11-DK-0151.You may also call toll free 1-866-999-5553. From America's Clinical Research Hospital, this has been CLINICAL CENTER RADIO. In Bethesda, Maryland, I'm Ellen Crown, at the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
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