Be In Charge Program
Program Helps Hepatitis C Patients Comply With Interferon Therapy Regimen
BOSTON, Nov. 1 2002 /PRNewswire/ -- A new cognitive behavioral therapy strategy
developed by Schering-Plough improves compliance among patients with hepatitis C
(HCV) who are receiving the pegylated interferon-based combination therapy
Peg-Intron(R) and Rebetol(R) (ribavirin), according to a Northwestern University
study.
Steven L. Flamm, M.D., associate professor of medicine and of surgery at The
Feinberg School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study, will
present his group's findings at the 53rd annual meeting of the American
Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
In his oral presentation, Flamm showed that HCV patients enrolled in an
aggressive side-effect management program, including the Schering-Plough patient
assistance program 'Be In Charge', are less likely to stop taking Peg-Intron and
Rebetol combination therapy in the first 12 weeks of therapy than patients who
receive only routine supportive care by their physicians.
Study results also indicated that pegylated interferon-based combination therapy
significantly improves physical and mental health-related quality of life at
weeks 4 and 8 of the regimen.
"The next advancement in treatment may be some years down the road. Right now we
need to maximize the current standard of care to get better results for
patients," Flamm said. "This study suggests that a proactive support program can
actually contribute to the success of therapy and may, therefore, lead to
increased cures for this often deadly infection."
Be In Charge' is designed to assist patients in managing side effects associated
with HCV therapy through the use of educational materials and telephone support
by nurses. To date, the program has enrolled more than 55,000 HCV patients.
Some 4 million Americans are infected with HCV and approximately 70 percent of
infected patients go on to develop chronic liver disease, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HCV infection contributes to the
deaths of an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Americans each year and this toll is
expected to triple by the year-end of 2010. The CDC has reported that
HCV-associated end-stage liver disease is the most frequent indication for liver
transplantation among adults.
It is predicted that direct U.S. medical costs to treat HCV-related disease will
exceed $13 billion for the years 2010 through 2019, according to a recent study.
CONTACT: Elizabeth Crown at
(312) 503-8928 or at e-crown@...
Broadcast Media: Tamara Kerrill at
(847) 491-4888 or tlk@...
SOURCE Northwestern University
CO: Northwestern University
ST: Massachusetts
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