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  • New Phase 3 Clinical Trial Opportunity for People Living with Chronic Hepatitis B

    … receiving bepirovirsen or placebo, and neither will the doctor (until after the study ends). Participants will have medical visits throughout the study, where the doctor will check on hepatitis B viral activity and each participant’s overall health.  To participate in the new phase 3 B Well studies, people need to be at least 18 years old (although the minimum age requirement may be higher in some countries); have a documented hepatitis B infection for at least six months; and have been on antiviral therapy with an NA for at least 6 months.   The B Well study is being run in many countries, so there is opportunity for people in many areas of the world to participate! To find out more information and see if you might be eligible, please visit www.bwellstudy.com.    

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/new-phase-3-clinical-trial-opportunity-people-living-chronic-hepatitis-b/
  • Podcast Recaps: A Global Perspective on Stigma and Discrimination Against Hepatitis B

    B Heppy Recap: A Global Perspective on Stigma and Discrimination Against Hepatitis B  Catherine Freeland is the Associate Director of Public Health Research at the Hepatitis B Foundation. As a researcher and founder of the Foundation’s Hepatitis B Discrimination Working group, Dr. Freeland shares more about the impact of discrimination and stigma as it pertains to people living with hepatitis B.   What is the difference between stigma and discrimination?  It’s important to understand stigma and discrimination are different. Stigma is a social process that is characterized by being excluded, rejected, and devalued because of the social judgement associated with a certain condition. Although the literature on the topic is limited, it has been shown that stigma related to hepatitis B has negatively impacted the quality of life for those living with hepatitis B around the globe. Discrimination is different in that it is characterized by the laws and behaviors that limit opportunities for growth. For example, denying access to education or work because someone is living with hepatitis B is a form of discrimination. Discrimination is often a result of stigma.   What are the causes for stigma and discrimination as it pertains to hepatitis B?  Lack of knowledge and understanding about hepatitis B in the community is a root cause of stigma and discrimination. Most people are unaware of what hepatitis B is and how it can be transmitted. This often results in rumors, myths and misconceptions spreading in the community and unfortunately can alienate people living with hepatitis B.   How does stigma and discrimination against hepatitis B affect the lived experiences of people in the community?  When myths and misconceptions spread about hepatitis B in the community, people with lived experience often face discrimination. A lot of people are required to undergo health screenings prior to starting employment.  If they test positive for hepatitis B, they can be

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/podcast-recaps-global-perspective-stigma-discrimination-hepatitis-b/
  • 2022 Advocacy Year in Review

    … global advocacy. Our ongoing advocacy efforts in the U. S. include calling on Optum to restore the hepatitis B treatment Vemlidy back to their health insurance formulary. Globally we continue to put pressure on Gavi to move forward with implementation of hepatitis B birth dose in member countries, urging members of Congress and President Biden to help end hepatitis B discrimination in the U.S. military, recognizing National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV and Hepatitis Awareness (NAIRHHA) Day in the U.S., advocating for universal adult hepatitis B screening, and increasing funding for hepatitis B and liver cancer.    Updated U.S. Public Health Service Corps Medical Standards   The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps announced in December that it is updating its medical standards to accept future applicants living with chronic hepatitis B and HIV. Previously, HIV and hepatitis B infection were both considered disqualifying medical conditions. The Hepatitis B Foundation became aware of this issue in late 2020, when an individual with hepatitis B applied to serve but was denied due to their hepatitis B infection. Working alongside partners, we successfully advocated for a change in this policy by meeting with senior administration official and Congressional champions, and getting language included in the FY 2022 House Labor-HHS Appropriations report urging the USPHS to allow officers with hepatitis B to serve in the Commissioned Corps.      Check out the report to learn more!   https://www.hepbunited.org/assets/Advocacy/5d40b3bcc9/2022-HBU-Year-in-Review-Final.pdf     From all of us at the Hepatitis B Foundation and Hep B United, THANK YOU for your continued support and dedication to advocating for hepatitis B awareness, prevention, treatment, and research and combatting stigma and discrimination. We are so proud of what the hepatitis B advocacy community achieved this year, and we look forward to continuing to work together to build on

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/2022-advocacy-year-review/
  • Living with hepatitis B and Diabetes

                      Happy Diabetes Awareness Month   November is American Diabetes Awareness Month! The Hepatitis B Foundation invited Dr. Tatyana Kushner, Theresa Worthington, and Marcia Mukanga Lange from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to explain more about the relationship between hepatitis B and Diabetes.  Diabetes and hepatitis B are linked in ways that are important for patients and healthcare professionals to be aware of in order to improve outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The great news is that through healthy lifestyle changes, patients with chronic hepatitis B and diabetes can take ownership of their health and manage their diabetes.   Hepatitis B May Increase One’s Risk for Diabetes   While still controversial, some studies indicate that patients with chronic hepatitis B, and particularly cirrhotic (liver scarring) hepatitis B, are at a greater risk for developing type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is a medical condition in which the body is unable to use glucose (blood sugar) for energy. The liver is a key metabolic organ with a host of necessary functions, one of which is blood sugar regulation. The liver helps keep glucose levels normal in the bloodstream to prevent serious health issues. It is not clearly understood how hepatitis B increases one’s risk for diabetes, but research has shown that damaged liver cells could lead to abnormalities in blood sugar regulation.  Liver damage as a result of hepatitis B can promote the development of diabetes without effective management to prevent further complications.  It is also important to know that having diabetes can put a person at risk for hepatitis B due to frequent use of glucose monitoring devices. People with diabetes must regularly monitor and track their blood sugar or glucose levels by pricking their finger using a glucose meter/monitoring machine. Failure to clean the equipment properly or sharing the glucose

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/living-hepatitis-b-diabetes/
  • Why is it important to support the Hepatitis B Foundation?

    This is a guest blog by Jean Holmes, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at the Hepatitis B Foundation and Baruch S. Blumberg Institute.   Why is it important to support the Hepatitis B Foundation?  Gosh, where should I start? First off, support this cause if you care about people living with hepatitis B. Because honestly, many people don’t. Most people don’t know much about hepatitis B, and people don’t support things they don’t know much about or care about. So, if you are one of the few that do, please consider it, because there aren’t enough of us. We NEED you.  Second, if you do care about people living with hepatitis B, the Hepatitis B Foundation should be on your giving radar. Your support would mean so much, because we have so much to do together.   If you’ve made it this far on our website, you probably already know that 300 million people in the world have hepatitis B. Every 40 seconds, someone dies of liver cancer as a result of hepatitis B. Maybe you know someone who has hepatitis B, died of liver cancer, or maybe you have hepatitis B yourself. YOU. MATTER.   This website is full of information about what the team is doing across the globe to eliminate hepatitis B. They’ve accomplished so much this past year that will help us gain more momentum in 2023 and beyond. We have to leverage those gains!  This team is a group of WARRIORS. They are so smart and so dedicated, it blows my mind.   But they need you.  Thanks again just for being here to care enough to read this post. You obviously care enough to make a difference, so let’s start there.   We can’t do this alone. It takes a lot of people to raise their voices in order to bring about change. When you give to the Hepatitis B Foundation, you’re telling the world, telling elected officials, telling the people with power, that hepatitis B has a VOICE.   Your voice.   What can you do?  Give. Even if it’s just $5, it helps. Give just once, or become a member of

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/important-support-hepatitis-b-foundation/
  • Hepatitis B Foundation receives Congressional funding for a Center of Public Health Excellence

    Doylestown, Pa., March 14, 2022 – With the passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Act, the Hepatitis B Foundation will receive $475,000 to create a Center of Public Health Excellence focused on hepatitis B elimination by providing expert resources, advice, training, capacity building and technical assistance for state and local partners including health departments, social service organizations, and community-based health providers on how to best prevent, treat and control hepatitis B and to increase the rate of adult vaccination and testing for hepatitis B. The Center will build public health infrastructure to decrease heath disparities and improve health access and outcomes in underserved, disparately impacted communities of color. The Center of Public Health Excellence was one of nine community projects that Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick secured funding for in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Act. The final bill passed the House with Congressman Fitzpatrick’s support on March 9, and passed the Senate on March 10. “We greatly appreciate Congressman Fitzpatrick’s leadership and help in securing this essential funding,” said Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, senior vice president of the Hepatitis B Foundation. “Our center is an exciting new initiative that will serve people living with hepatitis B, their families, health care providers and the public health community here in Pennsylvania and eventually nationwide.” There are at least 50,000 Pennsylvanians living with chronic hepatitis B, only 10-15% have been diagnosed, and only 50% of those diagnosed access sustainable medical care. This epidemic primarily impacts underserved communities of color and left untreated, one in four chronically infected individuals will die prematurely of liver cancer or cirrhosis. The addiction crisis has severely exacerbated this problem, and rates of acute hepatitis B have increased more than 150% in Pennsylvania. There is therefore an urgent need for the creation of a Center of Public Health Excellence focused on hepatitis B elimination. This program will build critical strategic public health infrastructure and partnerships in Pennsylvania to be leveraged and modeled for expansion as a national program. Ultimately, this initiative will help us meet the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) goal to eliminate hepatitis B in the United States by 2030. About Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus that attacks and injures the liver. Each year 840,000 people die from hepatitis B worldwide despite the fact that it is preventable and treatable. Hepatitis B is a “silent epidemic” because most people do not have symptoms when they are newly or chronically infected. Thus, they can unknowingly transmit the virus to others. For people who are chronically infected but don’t have any symptoms, their liver can still be silently damaged, which can develop into serious liver disease such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.  About the Hepatitis B Foundation: We are the nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with an office in Washington, D.C. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@hepbfoundation) or call us at 215-489-4900. To donate, contact Jean Holmes at 215-489-4900 or jean.holmes@hepb.org.

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/news-2/hepatitis-b-foundation-receives-congressional-funding-for-a-center-of-public-health-excellence-2/
  • Hepatitis B Foundation receives Congressional funding for a Center of Public Health Excellence

    Doylestown, Pa., March 14, 2022 – With the passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Act, the Hepatitis B Foundation will receive $475,000 to create a Center of Public Health Excellence focused on hepatitis B elimination by providing expert resources, advice, training, capacity building and technical assistance for state and local partners including health departments, social service organizations, and community-based health providers on how to best prevent, treat and control hepatitis B and to increase the rate of adult vaccination and testing for hepatitis B. The Center will build public health infrastructure to decrease heath disparities and improve health access and outcomes in underserved, disparately impacted communities of color. The Center of Public Health Excellence was one of nine community projects that Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick secured funding for in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Act. The final bill passed the House with Congressman Fitzpatrick’s support on March 9, and passed the Senate on March 10. “We greatly appreciate Congressman Fitzpatrick’s leadership and help in securing this essential funding,” said Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, senior vice president of the Hepatitis B Foundation. “Our center is an exciting new initiative that will serve people living with hepatitis B, their families, health care providers and the public health community here in Pennsylvania and eventually nationwide.” There are at least 50,000 Pennsylvanians living with chronic hepatitis B, only 10-15% have been diagnosed, and only 50% of those diagnosed access sustainable medical care. This epidemic primarily impacts underserved communities of color and left untreated, one in four chronically infected individuals will die prematurely of liver cancer or cirrhosis. The addiction crisis has severely exacerbated this problem, and rates of acute hepatitis B have increased more than 150% in Pennsylvania. There is therefore an urgent need for the creation of a Center of Public Health Excellence focused on hepatitis B elimination. This program will build critical strategic public health infrastructure and partnerships in Pennsylvania to be leveraged and modeled for expansion as a national program. Ultimately, this initiative will help us meet the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) goal to eliminate hepatitis B in the United States by 2030. About Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus that attacks and injures the liver. Each year 840,000 people die from hepatitis B worldwide despite the fact that it is preventable and treatable. Hepatitis B is a “silent epidemic” because most people do not have symptoms when they are newly or chronically infected. Thus, they can unknowingly transmit the virus to others. For people who are chronically infected but don’t have any symptoms, their liver can still be silently damaged, which can develop into serious liver disease such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.  About the Hepatitis B Foundation: We are the nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with an office in Washington, D.C. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@hepbfoundation) or call us at 215-489-4900. To donate, contact Jean Holmes at 215-489-4900 or jean.holmes@hepb.org.

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/news-2/hepatitis-b-foundation-receives-congressional-funding-for-a-center-of-public-health-excellence/
  • Hepatitis B Foundation Members Selected to Participate as Consumer Reviewers in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program for the U.S. Department of Defense

    Aug. 12, 2021 – The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s (CDMRP), Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) for the U.S. Department of Defense has selected consumer advocates nominated by the Hepatitis B Foundation. Joan Block, RN, the Foundation’s co-founder and senior advisor, and Maureen Kamischke, the Foundation’s patient engagement and consult specialist, recently participated in the evaluation of research applications submitted to the PRMRP. As consumer reviewers, Block and Kamischke were full voting members, along with prominent scientists, in a meeting held remotely, due to COVID-19, to help determine how the $370 million appropriated by Congress for fiscal year 2021 will be spent on Peer Reviewed Medical research. Consumer reviewers are asked to represent the collective view of patients by preparing comments on the impact of research on issues such as diagnosis, treatment and quality of life. When commenting on serving as a consumer reviewers, Block and Kamischke both remarked that representing the hepatitis B community was a privilege and they are pleased that hepatitis B is included on the list of diseases considered by the CDMRP for research funding. Consumer advocates and scientists have worked together in this unique partnership to evaluate the merit of research applications since fiscal year 1999. Col. Sarah B. Goldman, director of the CDMRP, expressed her appreciation of the consumer advocates’ hard work. “Integrating consumer perspectives into our decision-making process bring energy and focus to our research programs,” said Col. Goldman. “Patients, caregivers, family members and advocates help us keep our efforts centered around what is truly important to those impacted and help ensure that CDMRP’s work remains critical and relevant.” Researchers applying to the PRMRP propose to improve the health care and well-being of all military service members, veterans and beneficiaries. The PRMRP fills important gaps by supporting groundbreaking research while encouraging innovate thinking. More information about the CDMRP’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program is available here. About Hepatitis B The number of adults living in the U.S. who have chronic hepatitis B infection may be as high as 2.4 million, which is nearly three times greater than the federal government’s official estimate, according to a new report by a team of public health experts, scientists and physicians. The authors include Dr. Cohen, Hepatitis B Foundation President Timothy M. Block, PhD, and Foundation Medical Director Robert G. Gish, MD. Worldwide, an estimated two billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus (one out of three people) and 1.5 million people become newly infected each year. Almost 300 million people are chronically infected, less than 10% of infected individuals are diagnosed and an estimated 820,000 people die each year from hepatitis B and related complications such as liver cancer. The Hepatitis B Foundation first called for universal hepatitis B screening in the U.S. in 2018, as the only screening strategy that will help us make progress towards the 2030 goal of eliminating hepatitis B in this country. About the Hepatitis B Foundation: We are the nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with an office in Washington, D.C. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org and www.hepb30years.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@hepbfoundation) or call us at 215-489-4900. To donate, contact Jean Holmes at 215-489-4900 or jean.holmes@hepb.org.

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/news-2/hepatitis-b-foundation-launches-first-global-registry-of-discrimination-2/
  • Hepatitis B Foundation Endorses the Liver Illness Visibility, Education, and Research (LIVER) Act of 2019

    DOYLESTOWN, PA (May 24, 2019): The Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) strongly endorses yesterday’s re-introduction of the Liver Illness Visibility, Education and Research (LIVER) Act of 2019 (HR 3016). Introduced by Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), the bill takes bold steps to increase investments in research, prevention, and awareness activities to address hepatitis B, which kills up to 1 million people a year, and liver cancer, which continues to grow in incidence and is the 2nd deadliest cancer. As hepatitis B is a major cause of liver cancer, research efforts to cure these two diseases are linked. The LIVER Act will authorize an additional $45 million a year for 5 years for hepatitis B and liver cancer research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and will: Raise the profile of liver disease at the NIH by adding Liver to the name of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to make it the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, Kidney and Liver Diseases; Elevate the Liver Branch at NIDDK to a Division and require that the new Liver Division report directly to the Institute Director; Direct the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to issue targeted calls for proposals, including a call for a new liver Specialized Program of Research Excellence for primary liver cancer, and have those proposals reviewed by a new Special Emphasis Panel; Direct the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and NIDDK to issue targeted calls for proposals to focus on research questions identified by the hepatitis B research community; and, Direct NIH to establish an inter-institute working group to coordinate hepatitis B and liver cancer research. The bill will also authorize an additional $90 million a year for 5 years for prevention and awareness grants at the CDC, including grants for screening, vaccination, and treatment for liver cancer, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. The Hepatitis B Foundation applauds Congresswoman Velazquez for her leadership and vision on this issue and stands ready to help see this important legislation enacted into law. About Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus that attacks and injures the liver. Each year up to 1 million people die from hepatitis B worldwide despite the fact that it is preventable and treatable. Hepatitis B is a “silent epidemic” because most people do not have symptoms when they are newly or chronically infected. Thus, they can unknowingly spread the virus to others and continue the spread of hepatitis B. For people who are chronically infected but don’t have any symptoms, their liver is still being silently damaged which can develop into serious liver disease such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call 215-489-4900. # # #  

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/news-2/liver-act-2/
  • Baruch Blumberg, MD, DPhil

    Nobel Prize Winner in MedicineDistinguished Scholar, Hepatitis B Foundation(1925 – 2011) Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg had immense curiosity and energy that were hallmarks of his scientific persona. Described as a leading light in the scientific community and a great humanitarian, Dr. Blumberg identified the hepatitis B virus and created the first vaccine to prevent infection with the virus. Dr. Blumberg dedicated most of his scientific career to the problem of hepatitis B, and was a tremendous source of inspiration for the Hepatitis B Foundation. When the Foundation was established, Dr. Blumberg enthusiastically joined as a charter member of the HBF Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. His many years of professional encouragement and personal support were invaluable to the HBF’s ongoing efforts to find a cure to complete the circle of discovery that began when he identified the virus. In 1976, Dr. Blumberg won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery of the hepatitis B virus. He and his colleagues discovered the virus in 1967, developed the blood test that is used to detect the virus, and invented the first hepatitis B vaccine in 1969. These outstanding accomplishments have contributed significantly towards making the world a much healthier place to live. Dr. Blumberg served on the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of the Hepatitis B Foundation and as its Distinguished Scholar from 1992 until his passing in 2011. He was the Senior Advisor to the President of Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, both located in Philadelphia, Pa. In 1999, he was asked to serve as Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute in California and subsequently was appointed Senior Advisor to the Administrator for Biology, headquartered at NASA in Washington, D.C. A New York City native, Dr. Blumberg had a long and distinguished career with broad-ranging interests that include clinical research, epidemiology, virology, genetics and anthropology. He received his medical degree from Columbia University, and his doctoral degree from Balliol College of the University of Oxford. He joined the National Institutes of Health in 1957; moved to Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1964; and served as Master of Balliol College of the University of Oxford from 1989-1994. Discovery of the Hepatitis B Virus Scientific findings are often serendipitous. Such was the case for Dr. Baruch Blumberg who discovered the hepatitis B virus. He did not set out to discover the cause of hepatitis B. Rather, his intellectual curiosity and understanding of the scientific process led him to this profound discovery. In brief, the story of hepatitis B started with a search for inherited differences and ended with the discovery of a new virus. As a medical anthropologist in the early 1950's, Dr. Blumberg was interested in the genetics of disease susceptibility. He wondered whether inherited traits could make different groups of people more or less susceptible to the same disease. Dr. Blumberg and his team traveled the globe to collect blood samples from native populations in remote parts of the world. They planned to look for genetic differences, and then study whether these differences were associated with a disease. However, since they did not have the technology to analyze these blood samples at the genetic level, a new indirect method had to be developed; they turned their attention to hemophiliac patients. Dr. Blumberg reasoned that hemophiliacs who had received multiple blood transfusions would have been exposed to blood serum proteins that they themselves had not inherited, but had been inherited by their donors. As a result of this exposure, the immune systems of the hemophiliac patient would produce "antibodies" against the foreign blood serum proteins, or "antigens", from the donors. Since antibodies are programmed to lock onto specific antigens, Dr. Blumberg decided to use antibodies from hemophiliac patients to test the blood samples collected around the world. Using this new lab technique for matching antibodies with antigens, an unusual match was identified between an antibody from a New York hemophiliac and an antigen found in the blood sample of an Australian aborigine, which they called the "Australia antigen". A series of research and clinical observations led to confirmation that the "Australia antigen" caused hepatitis B and thus, this was how the hepatitis B virus was discovered in 1967. Two years later, Dr. Blumberg and Dr. Irving Millman invented the hepatitis B vaccine, which is another fascinating story!

    https://www.hepb.org/about-us/baruch-blumberg-md-dphil/