Blood Borne Virus Review for Healthcare Professionals
Blood Borne Virus Review for Healthcare Professionals
Videos
Kathy Davy, VP of Virology and infectious diseases and Andy Worlock, Senior Director of Development discuss Hologic’s legacy in virology and the viral load program.
A number of drug therapies have been available sometime for the treatment of HCV but these often have limitations due their side effects. More recently new drugs such as all oral, interferon-free therapy have come to the fore with good results. However there is still the need for more and a number of new molecules and regimes are in the final stages and will begin to come on line in the near future.
Which patients qualify for and when to start treatment is a major challenge facing physicians today. Integral to any treatment decision is patient involvement and their right for choice. However, we should never lose sight that we need minimize the socio-economic implications of delaying therapy.
Diagnostic tests are undervalued in global health. Good quality and fast tests are essential in the identification of diseases such as Hepatitis B & C, HIV and Ebola. The use of these will improve our knowledge of patient status,allowing prompt appropriate treatment.
In recent years we have learnt more about the epidemiology of BBV and their co-infections. New treatment regimes have been introduced which have made us aware of the risks of drug to drug interactions.This will be important as new therapeutic agents are developed for use in co-infected patients.
The treatment of HIV has made great strides but there is a need for new drugs to improve outcomes. In addition, the continued global campaign for screening and therapy is a must as we strive to reduce the disease burden. Testing and treatment go "hand-in-hand for the HIV patient care and management continuum.