Author: Cecilia Lim

Treating Children with HBV – Predictors of Success

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A unique longitudinal real life study on entecavir-treated children and adolescents have found that HBV DNA results at six and twelve months after starting treatment, are predictors of viral suppression. Another predictor of success is an age of infection at 10 years or older.

The study results, based on data collected from 44 patients, support entecavir as a safe and effective treatment for adolescents with chronic hepatitis B.

Believed to be the first long-term study on hepatitis B treatment for children and adolescents, the research also found that duration of entecavir therapy was an important factor in achieving successful outcomes. On average, the odds of undetectable hepatitis B DNA increases by about five per cent with each additional month of therapy.

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Clinical Trials Find Home at New RAH

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Minister for Health, Jack Snelling, has confirmed today that most researchers undertaking existing clinical trials as well as new trials being planned, will be housed within the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH).

“Face to face patient consultations will continue to occur within the outpatient, inpatient or day treatment areas, as they do at the current RAH,” he said.

In addition, the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) will accommodate some cancer and cardiology researchers, whose work aligns with the existing SAHMRI “research pillars”

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New RAH Will Accommodate Clinical Trials – Health Minister

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Research and clinical trials directly involving patients will have access to clinical settings and flexible workspaces at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), according to Minister for Health, Jack Snelling.

The Minister was responding to a letter from Hepatitis SA Executive Officer, Kerry Paterson, expressing concern over lack of space for clinical trials at the new RAH.

In a letter dated 22 August, he said work was “underway to ensure that research and clinical trials groups operating at the current RAH will be relocated to the new RAH, or to appropriate accommodation within the South Australian Health and Biomedical Precinct“.

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Will South Australians Miss Out on Future Cures?

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It is a rare thing that a cure can be found for a chronic disease.

Yet such a thing did happen recently with the revolution in treatments for hepatitis C. The new Direct-Acting Antiviral medicines could cure over 90 per cent of those treated, in 8 to 24 weeks with minimal side effects. Compare this to previous treatment regimens of 24 to 48 weeks, often with severe side effects, and cure rates of only 50 to 80 per cent.

Such breakthroughs would not have been possible without concerted, meticulous research and coordinated clinical trials around the world. So it is disappointing to hear (see media report and  AMA article) that South Australia’s brand new state-of-the-art Royal Adelaide Hospital, will have no room for clinical trials.

It is believed that at best, only 15 per cent of the 350 current trials currently underway will be accommodated at the new RAH.

Leading medical experts and community organisations have voiced their concern over this lack of provision.

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