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EASL issues new hepatitis C treatment recommendations for all genotypes
Liz Highleyman, 2016-09-26 10:40:00
The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) released its latest recommendations on treatment of hepatitis C at a special meeting last Thursday in Paris. The updated guidelines now include highly effective interferon-free options for all hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and for the most challenging patients.
EASL usually releases revised recommendations at its International Liver Congress in the spring, but this year the guidelines panel decided to hold off the release to wait for European approval of two newer direct-acting antiviral regimens, grazoprevir/elbasvir (Zepatier) and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (Epclusa). The recommendations were presented at an evening session preceding a special meeting, New Perspectives in Hepatitis C Virus Infection - The Roadmap for Cure
Panel coordinator Jean-Michel Pawlotsky presented a summary of the recommendations, followed by a discussion with panel members Alessio Aghemo, David Back, Geoffrey Dusheiko, Xavier Forns and Massimo Puoti, along with EASL Secretary General Laurent Castera and Francesco Negro of the EASL governing board; member Christoph Sarrazin was absent.
The guidelines - now in press in the Journal of Hepatology and available on the EASL website - are designed to be flexible enough to be relevant in countries with different approval mechanisms and funding systems.
"EASL is committed to making recommendations that every country can use," Prof Pawlotsky said. "We hope these guidelines can help people all over the world."
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