HCV in People Who Inject Drugs

Faculty

Beth A. Dunlap, MD
Addiction Medicine Physician
Northern Illinois Recovery Center
Crystal Lake, Illinois

Stacey B. Trooskin, MD, PhD, MPH
Chief Medical Officer
Director of Viral Hepatitis Programs
Jonathan Lax Treatment Center
Philadelphia FIGHT
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for substance use disorders services providers, addiction medicine specialists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other health care providers who interact with HCV-positive patients and clients who inject drugs.

Program Description

In this activity, expert faculty will describe the epidemiologic imperative for HCV treatment as prevention within populations of people who inject drugs (PWID). The participant will learn both the importance of and tactics for HCV testing and linkage to HCV treatment. Barriers to treatment of HCV-positive PWID and outdated clinical assumptions regarding eligibility and prescribing limitations will be discussed, along with current clinical evidence for the feasibility and success of treatment. A holistic approach to harm-reduction principles and practices and their real-world integration with HCV care and cure will be emphasized.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of the educational activity,participants should be able to:

1. Discuss national and local epidemiologic data on HCV-positive PWID that support the imperative for consistent screening of at-risk individuals
2. Provide counseling to HCV-positive PWID on the feasibility, efficacy, and overall health benefits of HCV treatment
3. Refer HCV-positive PWID to community-based HCV treaters for confirmatory HCV testing and/or DAA therapy
4. Educate PWID on harm-reduction principles and practices to prevent HCV reinfection after cure

Physician 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 Purdue University College of Pharmacy and Integritas Communications. Purdue University College of Pharmacy, an equal access/equal opportunity institution, is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physician Credit Designation

Purdue University College of Pharmacy designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure of Conflict of Interest

All faculty, staff, and reviewers involved in the planning, review, or presentation of continuing education activities provided by Purdue University College of Pharmacy are required to disclose to the audience any relevant commercial financial affiliations related to the content of the presentation or enduring material. Full disclosure of all commercial relationships must be made in writing to the audience prior to the activity.

All additional planning committee members, staff, and reviewers of Integritas Communications and Purdue University College of Pharmacy have no relationships to disclose.

The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouses/life partners have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:

Beth A. Dunlap, MD: Nothing to disclose

Stacey B. Trooskin, MD, PhD, MPH: Grants/Research Support/Advisory Board: Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Purdue University College of Pharmacy and Integritas Communications do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization associated with this activity. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of patient conditions and possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

Instructions

In order to receive CME credits, participants must complete the pre-assessment questions, post-test, and program evaluation. Participants must also score at least 70% on the posttest. Certificates will be distributed online at the conclusion of the activity. Your online certificate will be saved on myCME within your Profile/Exam History, which you can access at any time.

For information about the accreditation of this program, please contact Dawn Sinclair at The Purdue University College of Pharmacy at sinclaid@purdue.edu or 765-494-5457. For questions regarding pharmacy CE credit and reports please contact: pharmacy-cecr@purdue.edu.

Fee Information and Refund/Cancellation Policy

There is no fee for this educational activity.