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  • Researchers and people living with hepatitis B meet in Paris at the third Hepatitis B Community Forum

    The Forum is an annual public awareness event co-hosted by the Hepatitis B Foundation and ICE-HBV to provide a powerful conclusion to the International HBV Meeting. Paris, Sept. 22, 2022 – The perspectives of the almost 300 million people living with hepatitis B is critical as scientists and clinicians continue working toward hepatitis B cure and elimination, which was the focus of a special session that concluded the 2022 International HBV Meeting. The largest global meeting focused solely on the science of hepatitis B, the HBV Meeting was held this week (Sept. 18-22) in Paris. The Community Forum provided an opportunity for the researchers, physicians and others engaged with hepatitis B to understand the needs of the greater hepatitis B community. Just as important, it allowed those living with hepatitis B to learn about the disease and progress in treatment and a cure directly from the scientists who have made this their life’s work. This year’s Community Forum focused on the European Union, where many hurdles exist in terms of health care inequality, leading to unequal access to hepatitis B screening and treatment, health disparities, stigma and lack of prioritization to eliminate hepatitis B. Following Marinela Debu from ELPA, the European Liver Patients’ Association, organizers and partners “call for equitable access to care in the European Union, so that when the cure comes, it benefits everyone.” The Community Forum was co-hosted by the Hepatitis B Foundation and the International Coalition to Eliminate HBV (ICE-HBV). Foundation President Chari A. Cohen, DrPH, MPH, said: “We truly believe in the concept of ‘nothing about us without us.’ Finding a functional cure for hepatitis B will only be beneficial if we address the structural challenges already faced by people living with hepatitis B.” Fabien Zoulim, MD, PhD, chair of ICE-HBV said, “The forum has become an integral part of the annual international meeting. Inclusion of this audience is pivotal to the success of any progress, which is why the just concluded Community Forum is an essential part of the HBV meeting.” Findings from this year’s Community Forum highlight that, while there is much progress being made towards finding therapies that could lead to functional cure for many people living with hepatitis B, there is still much work to be done to accomplish equitable care. Improved screening systems will be required to ensure an equitable access to cure.

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/news-2/researchers-and-people-living-with-hepatitis-b-meet-in-paris-at-the-third-hepatitis-b-community-forum/
  • Run4TeamHepB Runner Spotlight: Catherine Freeland

    We’re thrilled to share that our Run4TeamHepB is out there training and training for the TCS New York City Marathon taking place on Nov. 6, 2022! Over the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting each one of our dedicated runners so you can meet the team and join them raising awareness and funds for those living with Hep B. Feel free to share these posts to help get the word out! First up…meet Catherine! Who: Catherine Freeland What: An avid runner who by day works at the Hepatitis B Foundation and by night laces up her sneaks to train and continue to raise awareness. Where: Resides in Philadelphia When: Nov. 6 will mark Catherine’s 6th marathon Why: Catherine says "I am running the NYC marathon for the amazing and inspirational people living with hepatitis B- especially the #justB storytellers who inspire me to work at the Hepatitis B Foundation every day!" We say "Catherine you are amazing and we’re lucky to have you as part of our team - both in the office and on the road! For more info and to help Catherine reach her goal, please go here to donate. 

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/nyc-marathon/run4teamhepb-runner-spotlight-catherine-freeland/
  • Mission & History

    Our Mission The Hepatitis B Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B worldwide. Our commitment includes funding focused research, promoting disease awareness, supporting immunization and treatment initiatives, and serving as the primary source of information for patients and their families, the medical and scientific community, and the general public. Our Story Joan and Tim Block launched the Hepatitis B Foundation in 1991, with the help of their friends Jan and Paul Witte, not long after Joan was diagnosed with the disease. Together, with the personal support of Dr. Baruch Blumberg, they made history. In our Thirtieth Anniversary Video, Joan recounts how the Foundation got started and says, “In some ways, it’s a love story.” Joan was a nurse at a Philadelphia hospital and Tim was a professor at Jefferson University, researching the herpes simplex virus. Then, unexpectedly, a routine health exam determined that Joan was positive for hepatitis B. “When I was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, instead of panicking, he changed his whole focus of research to search for a cure for hepatitis B,” Joan recalls. “Tim went to Jan and Paul, and shared this story with them, and they immediately said, ‘We have to do something.’” The two couples created the Hepatitis B Foundation, which was initially a virtual entity. The Foundation primarily took phone calls from people living with the disease and seeking information in those pre-internet days. There was nowhere else for people with hepatitis B to turn. As the Foundation grew a research arm was established, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute in 2003. The Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC) was launched to support Blumberg researchers and startup companies in the life sciences in 2006. Today PABC is one of the nation’s most successful life sciences incubators, with more than 80 member companies and about $500 million of R&D activity in recent years. The need for this kind of research and support is in such high demand that an expansion is underway at the center, which is located next to the Doylestown Airport. In 2020, Joan and Tim Block were honored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases with its inaugural Distinguished Advocacy Service Award. After that announcement, congratulatory messages poured in. “Tim, despite his humble nature, is a scientific and social giant – a great scientist, a great teacher, a great leader and a remarkable innovator,” wrote Harvey Alter, M.D., who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for 2020. “With Joan as inspiration, they have evolved the Hepatitis B Foundation from a random thought to a major international entity serving innumerable carriers of hepatitis B infection and their families.” Today, what started as a love story between two people has positively affected the lives of millions of people. The Foundation continues to grow and works diligently to provide patient care, advocacy, awareness, and most importantly, to find a cure to hepatitis B. Today, the Hepatitis B Foundation has since grown from a grassroots effort into a professional organization with a global reach. In June 2022, Tim Block stepped down as president of the of the Hepatitis B Foundation, Blumberg Institute, and Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center. He left the organizations in the capable hands of Chari A. Cohen, DrPH, MPH; Randall Hyer, MD, PhD, MPH; and Louis P. Kassa, III, MPA respectively. Tim will continue as Chairman of the Board of Directors for all three organizations.  

    https://www.hepb.org/about-us/mission-and-history/
  • The Drug Discovery Process

    It takes talent, dedication, lots of  time, and a sizable investment to bring a safe and effective drug to market. The Drug Discovery Process YouTube video, compliments of PhRMAPress, introduces the long and arduous drug process from the identification of a compound in the lab, though clinical trials and the FDA approval process. It may sound simple, but this process may take up to 1,000 people, 12-15 years and up to 1.3 to 1.6 billion dollars to put a new drug in the hands of the patient. Consider this process when following the progress of  hepatitis B drugs on the Hepatitis B Foundation Drug Watch page.  Compounds could remain in various stages for years. Note that the "preclinical" phase represents the drugs that are still in the lab and not yet ready for human clinical trials. The Hepatitis B Foundation also maintains a webpage with the latest hepatitis B related clinical trials. Contact information is provided for each trial for those wishing to volunteer to participate.  Volunteers must meet the criteria for participation in a trial. The future looks bright for a functional cure for hepatitis B. It may take a few more years to get the drug into the hands of the patient, but each step of the process is crucial in order to produce a drug that is both effective and safe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhxD6sVQEYc      

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/the-drug-discovery-process/
  • Top 10 Hepatitis B Related Stories of 2014

    Take a look at HBF's Top Ten picks for 2014... 1.  Viral Hepatitis More Deadly Than HIV, But Unfunded 2.  WHO: Liver Cancer Moves to the 2nd Leading Cause of Cancer Deaths in the World 3.  Hep B Cure Could Be Discovered in Bucks Co. 4.  Preventing, Treating HBV Reactivation During Immunosuppressive Therapy 5.  Antiviral Treatment among Pregnant Women with Chronic Hepatitis B 6.  HBV: Community-Based Programs May Improve Care 7.  Fighting Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer in West Africa 8.  Are US Veterans Being Appropriately Tested and Treated for Hepatitis B? 9.  Tenofovir Continues to Work Well Against Hepatitis B Virus for 8 Years 10.  Increase Seen in Liver Injury Caused by Herbals, Dietary Supplements  

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/top-10-hepatitis-b-related-stories-of-2014/
  • HBV Journal Review – December 2014

    HBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored: Twenty-five Percent of HBV-Infected Women Have Liver "Flares" after Childbirth Experts: Do Not Treat Patients in the Immune-Tolerant Stage of Infection Entecavir and Tenofovir Equally Effective in HBeAg-positive Patients and Cirrhotics Tenofovir Effective in Patients with Adefovir- and Lamivudine-Resistance Adding Interferon to Ongoing Antiviral Treatment Effective in HBeAg-positive Patients Antivirals Improve Survival Among Hepatitis B Patients Interferon Effective in HBeAg-negative Patients, Early HBsAg Declines Predict Success Study Finds Asian Immigrants, Especially Chinese, at High Risk of Hepatitis B Immunization Continues to Protect Against Hepatitis B Decades Later Doctors Fail to Vaccinate Hepatitis Patients Against Other Hepatitis Infections Study Confirms HBV Patients Have Higher Kidney Disease Rates December 1, 2014 Volume 11, Issue 12 by Christine M. Kukka Twenty-five Percent of HBV-Infected Women Have Liver "Flares" after Childbirth One-quarter of hepatitis B-infected women have surges in their liver enzymes, indicating liver damage and inflammation, after giving birth, according to a report published in the November 2014 issue of the journal Gut. The "flares" are spikes in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. When these ALT enzymes climb above normal, which is between 7 to 35 international units per liter (IU/L) for women, it indicates liver cell damage from the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The researchers measured ALT levels in 108 women's blood samples within six to 12 weeks after they gave birth and again at 12 months. They also monitored the women's viral load (HBV DNA) and their hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) status. Twenty-seven

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hbv-journal-review-december-2014/
  • HBV Journal Review – August 2014

    … Current Hepatitis B Tests Missing Some Infections? When do hepatitis B tests miss true infections?A number of confounding factors, ranging from "occult" hepatitis B increase (see above article), failure of lab tests to pick up extremely low levels of HBsAg, immunizations, and the rapidly changing progression of HBV infection can all conspire to mask the infection from conventional laboratory tests. Read the HBV Journal Review in its entirety 

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hbv-journal-review-august-2014/
  • HBV Journal Review – June 2014

    HBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored: Belatedly, National Panel Recommends Screening At-Risk Patients for Hepatitis B Genotypes and Mutations Define the Course of Hepatitis B Infection Older Patients Who Lose HBeAg After Treatment May Relapse Tenofovir Proves Ineffective in Patient with Multiple Drug Resistance Nearly All HBeAg-Negative Patients Relapse After Antiviral Treatment Stops Studies Find Hepatitis Infection Does Not Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk Screening Pregnant Women for High Viral Loads Is Cost Effective Hepatitis B Appears to Impede Fertility Despite Low Viral Load, Infected People Can Still Infect Family Members Good News: HBV Infection Rates Lower Than Expected Among Korean-Americans Green Tea May Be an Effective Antiviral HBV Journal Review June 1, 2014 Volume 11, Issue 6 by Christine M. Kukka Belatedly, National Panel Recommends Screening At-Risk Patients for Hepatitis B Ten years after it recommended against screening the "general population" for hepatitis B, an independent national task force that creates prevention guidelines for primary care providers has finally recognized that certain high risk groups in the U.S. should be screened for hepatitis B. Their recommendations, recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, come after numerous studies faulted primary care providers for failing to screen patients for hepatitis B and missing opportunities to treat patients for liver disease and immunize family members against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. Other health care organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Institute of Medicine, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, have been recommending

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hbv-journal-review-june-2014/
  • Hepatitis B Foundation Announces Promotion of Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, to Vice President, Public Health and Programs

    DOYLESTOWN, PA (October 2017): The Hepatitis B Foundation, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Doylestown, PA, has announced the promotion of Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH to vice president, public health and programs. In her new position, Dr. Cohen will be responsible for building and expanding programs designed to promote disease awareness, and support immunization and treatment efforts, improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B worldwide. “Chari has dedicated her career to addressing the global problem of hepatitis B – the world’s most serious and common liver infection,” said Timothy Block, PhD, president of the Hepatitis B Foundation. “We are fortunate to have her talent, experience and enthusiasm. She will continue the legacy of the work of Dr. Thomas London, and before him, Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who helped establish our programs. Those are big shoes to fill, but she has already done this admirably, and the HBF programs continue to be at the forefront in the U.S.” Dr. Cohen has been with the Hepatitis B Foundation for 17 years, during which she has planned, implemented and evaluated community programs and research projects focusing on hepatitis B and liver cancer. Her research focuses on reducing hepatitis B related health disparities, including developing culturally competent models for improving health care access. Dr. Cohen is co-founder and director of Hep B United Philadelphia, a coalition and campaign to increase testing, vaccination and linkage to care in local high-risk communities. Nationally, she is chair of CHIPO: Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin. She is also senior adviser to Hep B United, a national coalition in 17 states to address and eliminate hepatitis B. She sits on the steering committee for NVHR, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, and served as Policy Chair for the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of the American Public Health Association. Academically, Dr. Cohen is Associate Professor at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, and serves as adjunct faculty for Jefferson School of Population Health, Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health, and Geisinger Commonwealth Medical College. Dr. Cohen received her MPH from Temple University and her DrPH in Community Health and Prevention from Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. 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/hepatitis-b-foundation-announces-promotion-of-chari-cohen-drph-mph-to-vice-president-public-health-and-programs/
  • Hepatitis B Foundation Opposes the American Health Care Act

    The Hepatitis B Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B worldwide, strongly opposes the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The AHCA would result in 24 million Americans losing health insurance coverage and $880 billion in cuts to federal Medicaid spending by 2026. The plan as introduced would create a greater financial burden on our health care system and for people living with or at risk for hepatitis B. The AHCA proposes to repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), which funds more than half of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Section 317 Immunization Program. Vaccines purchased through the Section 317 Immunization Program have played a critical role in HBV prevention in high-risk uninsured and underinsured children and adults. Additionally, PPHF funding for this program helps ensure that infants at risk of contracting HBV from their infected mothers can be identified and provided with the HBV vaccine at birth to prevent mother-to-child transmission. The AHCA also proposes changes to Medicaid that could reverse critical progress that has been made since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 in decreasing the uninsured rate of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), who are disproportionately impacted by hepatitis B. Changing the Medicaid structure to be controlled by the states will also limit the amount of funding states receive and affect funding given to key health entities that serve AAPIs, such as federally-qualified health centers. Additionally, by eliminating federal matching dollars for Medicaid expansion, the AHCA will make it harder for state Medicaid programs to fund coverage for preventive services, such as hepatitis B screening and vaccination for pregnant women and high-risk adults. Finally, by limiting tax credits to persons who are citizens or “qualified aliens,” the AHCA leaves out many immigrant groups with lawful status, including Compact of Free Association (COFA) migrants from the Pacific Islands. Without this financial assistance that they qualified for under the ACA, many lawfully present AAPIs and other immigrant groups who are disproportionately impacted by hepatitis B may no longer be able to afford health coverage. As the House moves to a vote on the proposed AHCA, the Hepatitis B Foundation will continue to monitor and advocate against the harmful provisions outlined above. We are committed to working with our partners and coalition members across the country to promote legislation that improves the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B and supports progress toward the elimination of hepatitis B and related liver disease and 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/hbf-opposes-ahca/