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Welcome.
This is Dr. Mark Mailliard,
and I am here to discuss
Hepatitis C,
Cure of Infection.
I am the Paustain Professor
and Chief
of the Division
of Gastroenterology
and Hepatology,
department of Internal Medicine
at the University of Nebraska,
College of Medicine in Omaha.
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Let us begin today
by discussing
the major milestones
of the identification
and therapy
of hepatitis C virus.
In 1989, workers at Chiron
successfully identified
the hepatitis C RNA virus
for the first time.
This was incredibly important
because it led
to what we take for granted
in our ability
to identify infection.
By 1992,
the molecular identification
of hepatitis C had advanced
to where the United States
blood supply was safe.
This was so important
because prior to this,
the United States blood supply
and blood supply
throughout the world
had hepatitis C virus
as a contaminant.
Also, in 1992,
The FDA in the United States
approved Interferon
as therapy for hepatitis C.
By 1998,
the CDC in the United States
recommended screening
of all patients
at-risk for hepatitis C.
These were patients
that they identified
having risk for
blood borne infections,
usually through risky behavior
involving needle sticks.
By 2007,
the deaths in the United States
from hepatitis C infection
exceeded those deaths
from HIV infection.
In 2013,
the CDC and the United States
Public Services Task Force
recommended screening based
only upon the age,
the age of being
in the birth cohort,
what's called Baby Boomers,
those born between
1945 and 1964.
And finally, that brings us
to our talk today,
the remarkable appearance
of the All-Oral Direct
Acting Antivirals
for curing hepatitis C.
In the winter of 2013 and 2014,
medication became available
that has completely changed
our ability to cure
this infection.
