News from the Literature | Announcements | Practice | Research | Education & Meetings
LEADING THE NEWS
FDA Approves Two New Hep C Drugs
Two new drugs for treating viral hepatitis C have been approved by the FDA. They represent a significant advance in treating this important infection, which is a major cause of cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, liver transplantation and hepatocellular carcinoma. This infection affects more than 4,000,000 people in the U.S. and 170,000,000 worldwide. The current standard of care for patients with chronic hepatitis C infection has been the combination of peginterferon alfa and ribavirin with only about a 40 percent rate of viral clearance.
On May 23, the FDA approved Incivek (telaprevir) to treat certain adults with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection. Incivek is an oral medication used in combination with peginterferon and ribavirin, and is used for patients who have either not received interferon-based drug therapy for their infection or who have not responded adequately to prior therapies. Important advances are the possibility of much shorter duration of treatment and viral clearance rates in the majority of patients.
On May 13, the FDA also approved Victrelis (boceprevir) to treat certain adults with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1. Victrelis is also used in combination with peginterferon and ribavirin, and is indicated for patients who are treatment-naïve or who have failed such treatment.
It is important that all treating and non-treating physicians be familiar with these drugs and be aware of potential drug interactions. In particular, endoscopists should be aware that oral midazolam is contraindicated and the effect of the intravenous form may be enhanced by these drugs.
Telaprevir and boceprevir were discussed during lectures at the AGA 2011 Spring Postgraduate Course, Emerging Concepts and Their Practical Applications. Valuable resources, such as online sessions, a DVD and a syllabus, are available for purchase. Learn more.
NEWS FROM THE LITERATURE
Doctors Identify Predictors of Blood Loss in Colonic Angiodysplasia Patients
Most studies of angiodysplasia are small and performed at a single center. In a study appearing in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, doctors concluded that predictors of blood loss in patients with colonic angiodysplasia include inpatient status, comorbidities, age, race/ethnicity and lesion number. Endoscopic therapy for angiodysplasia varied according to practice setting and region.
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2011: 9(5): 415-420
Novel Swallow Risk Index Predicts Aspiration in Adults
Pharyngeal manometry and impedance provide information on swallow function. According to data published in Gastroenterology, pressure-flow variables derived from automated analysis of combined manometric/impedance measurements provide valuable diagnostic information. When combined into a swallow risk index, these measurements are a robust predictor of aspiration.
Gastroenterology 2011; 140(5): 1454-1463
Patients Achieve Remission with Anti-Reflux Therapy
GERD is a chronic, relapsing disease with symptoms that have negative effects on daily life. A multicenter clinical trial demonstrated that with contemporary anti-reflux therapy for GERD, either by drug-induced acid suppression with esomeprazole or by laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery, most patients achieve and remain in remission at five years. These study results are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Journal of the American Medical Association 2011; 305(19): 1969-1977
Granularity Is Significant Predictor of Disease Activity in UC
Endoscopic evaluation plays a pivotal role in the assessment of treatment response in ulcerative colitis. According to a study in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, granularity, vascular pattern, ulceration and bleeding-friability are significant predictors of overall endoscopic severity.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases 2011: 17(6): 1257-64
ANNOUNCEMENTS
May 31: Deadline for Committee Member Nominations
AGA and AGA Institute committees recommend and oversee new and existing policies and programs. Committee service offers members several benefits — you can network with other physicians and scientists, pursue a special interest, or make an impact in an area that is important to you. The following committees will have open positions for members:
- Political Action Committee (four positions open)
- Clinical Practice & Quality Management Committee (three positions open)
- Education & Training Committee (three positions open)
- Ethics Committee (two positions open)
- Finance & Operations Committee (one position open)
- International Committee (one position open)
- Nominating Committee (four positions open)
- Public Affairs & Advocacy Committee (two positions open)
- Publications Committee (two positions open)
- Research Awards Panel (six positions open)
- Research Policy Committee (three positions open)
- Underrepresented Minorities Committee (two positions open)
- Women's Committee (two positions open)
If you would like to nominate yourself and/or another AGA member, please visit https://netFORUM.gastro.org/eweb and log in. Under “Member Services,” complete your nomination(s) by accessing the committee nomination form. Nominations must be received no later than May 31, 2011. If you should encounter any difficulties with the online nomination process, please contact Diane Field (dfield@gastro.org) at the AGA National Office.
Nominees will be contacted to confirm their interest and to obtain their curriculum vitae. As president-elect, Loren Laine, MD, AGAF, will consider applications and select appointees for each committee. These selections will then be brought before the AGA Governing Board for ratification. The appointees ratified will begin serving their term in June 2012.
FDA Approves Sutent for Rare Type of Pancreatic Cancer
The FDA approved Sutent (sunitinib) to treat patients with progressive neuroendocrine cancerous tumors located in the pancreas that cannot be removed by surgery or that have spread to other parts of the body.
The safety and effectiveness of Sutent was established in a single study of 171 patients with metastatic or locally advanced disease who received Sutent or a placebo. The study was designed to measure the length of time a patient lived before their disease spread or worsened.
Results from the study demonstrated that Sutent provided benefit to patients by prolonging the median length of time they lived without the cancer spreading or worsening to 10.2 months compared to 5.4 months for patients who received placebo.
SimplyThick®: Risk of Life-Threatening Bowel Condition
The FDA notified parents, caregivers and health-care providers not to feed SimplyThick®, a thickening agent for management of swallowing disorders, to infants born before 37 weeks. The product may cause necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening condition characterized by inflammation and death of intestinal tissue.
The agency is aware of 15 cases of NEC, including two deaths, involving premature infants who were fed SimplyThick for varying amounts of time. The product was mixed with mothers’ breast milk or infant formula. Illnesses have been reported from at least four different medical centers around the country. The illnesses of which the FDA is aware involve premature infants. SimplyThick was added to the feeding regimen of those infants, who later developed NEC, to help with swallowing difficulties stemming from complications of premature birth.
Health-care providers should stop administering the product to premature infants. Parents and caregivers who have questions or concerns related to the use of the product and/or who have medical concerns should contact their health-care provider.
PRACTICE
National Version 5010 Testing Day: June 15
The version 5010 (the new version of the X12 standards for HIPAA transactions) compliance date — Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012 — is fast approaching. All HIPAA-covered entities should be taking steps now to get ready, including conducting external testing to ensure timely compliance. Are you prepared for the transition?
Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) trading partners are encouraged to contact their Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) now and facilitate testing to gain a better understanding of MAC testing protocols and the transition to version 5010.
To assist in this effort, CMS, in conjunction with the Medicare FFS program, announced a national 5010 testing day to be held on Wednesday, June 15. This testing day is an opportunity for trading partners to come together and test compliance efforts that are already underway with the added benefit of real-time help desk support and direct and immediate access to MACs.
CMS encourages providers, clearinghouses and vendors to participate in the National 5010 Testing Day. Testing day does not preclude trading partners from testing transactions immediately with their MAC. Do not wait. You are encouraged to begin working with your MAC now to ensure timely compliance. Note that successful testing is required before a trading partner may be placed into production.
Learn more.
RESEARCH
Your AGA Research Foundation Gifts Support ...
Nolan Neu, who received a 2010 AGA-Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Student Research Fellowship Award.
“The 2010 AGA Foundation Student Research Fellowship award will help me make great strides towards a career in research. As a senior in high school, I will have to start making decisions about what I would like to do for the better part of the rest of my life. This grant will help me make those future decisions by giving me a standard of what research is like. It will give me a perspective on what type of research I am interested in, the pros and cons of a research career, and — most of all — a great opportunity to get experience in an area I love to learn about. This will be a learning experience and will set me on the right course for college and future research endeavors.”
To make a donation, visit http://www.gastro.org/contribute.
EDUCATION & MEETINGS
Registration Open for Oncology for the GI Conference
Registration is now open for Oncology for the Gastroenterologist: Horizons for the Future, which will be held Oct. 14 and 15, 2011, at The Westin Georgetown in Washington, D.C. This one-of-a-kind conference will address the advances in targeted biological therapy based on the genetics and biological behavior discovered at the molecular level within gastrointestinal malignancies.
Conference highlights include:
- State-of-the-art sessions that explore topics such as the interplay between genetics and GI cancer, advances in therapies and treatments, approaches to survivorship and the future of GI oncology training.
- An internationally renowned faculty of 27 experts in the field of GI oncology consisting of both experienced investigators and seasoned clinicians.
- Interactive poster session that allows attendees to get direct feedback on their research from expert faculty and their peers.
- Mentoring and networking breakfast that offers the opportunity to meet and connect with expert faculty, who will be grouped according to their various areas of interest. Attendees may choose the group(s) in which they would like to interact.
Register early to secure your space at the conference and to reserve your hotel room. GI fellows can register at a reduced fee and AGA member fellows will receive complimentary registration for presenting an outstanding poster. The pre-registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 7; the hotel reservation deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 21. For more information and to register, visit www.gilearn.org/freston.
Funded by the Takeda Endowment in support of the James W. Freston Single Topic Conference.
Endorsed by ASCO®. ASCO is a registered trademark of the American Society of Clinical Oncology®. Used with permission. This is not an ASCO-sponsored event.
| Save the Date — AGA Virtual Symposium on GI Oncology |
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Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011 This symposium is supported in part by an educational grant from Bristol Myers-Squibb. |
Valuable Resources Available from the Postgraduate Course
The 2011 AGA Postgraduate Course, Emerging Concepts and Their Practical Applications, presented attendees with the latest science behind recent clinical advances, current diagnostic methods and the best approaches for handling controversial management issues. If you could not attend the course or did attend and want to enhance your learning experience, take advantage of these valuable resources, including a DVD, online sessions and the course syllabus.
The DVD and online sessions contain the complete audio track and slides of the general session lectures and select breakout sessions. Both the DVD and online sessions are fully searchable by topic or author, and the online sessions offer CME credit. The sessions will be available online and on DVD by June 15. Buyers can save with a special offer that gives them access to the online sessions for just $10 with their DVD purchase.
The course syllabus contains comprehensive details of all sessions, including abstracts, key points, references, slides, graphs, charts and tables. Learning objectives and complete reference lists are also included.
While supplies last, the CD-ROM and syllabus from last year’s postgraduate course, Managing Digestive Diseases in the Next Decade: Controversies and New Developments, are available at a discounted price.
To order, visit www.gilearn.org/pgresources.
| Additional Course Resources Available |
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Buy either the syllabi or online sessions from both courses and save 20 percent. |
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Place GI Position Listings and Activity Announcements
For as little as $82.50, you can place a classified ad of 100 words or less in AGA's weekly e-mail newsletter, AGA eDigest, or AGA's bi-monthly magazine, AGA Perspectives. If you place ads in both AGA Perspectives and AGA eDigest, you will receive a 10 percent discount. Advertising in either includes a free online classified listing. Learn more.
Maryland
Large multi-specialty practice serving Montgomery County, MD seeks a BE/BC gastroenterologist. Excellent opportunity to join a large private practice with an integrated referral system. Please forward your CV to elliotrgoldstein@yahoo.com.
Ohio
Gastroenterologist needed to join a busy, growing practice in Ohio. Physicians must be graduates of an accredited U.S. gastroenterology fellowship. ERCP and EUS training/experience a plus.
Chance to be part of a physician-owned endoscopy center with strong referral basis. Some call required, 401k, competitive compensation and partnership track available.
Please submit cover letter and CV for consideration.
E-mail: andrea.monier@xenonhealth.com
Fax: 646-304-1681
Washington
Pediatric Gastroenterology Opportunity at Swedish in Seattle, WA: Swedish, the largest non-profit health-care system in the Pacific Northwest, is seeking a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist to join an existing, well-established physician practice. The Pediatric Gastroenterology Program at Swedish is part of a multi-specialty, hospital-based, non-academic group with a successful outreach program in place.
The ideal candidate will have fellowship training in pediatric gastroenterology, strong communication and interpersonal skills, outstanding clinical expertise, and leadership potential. You will work closely with highly qualified and respected pediatric specialist physicians, pediatric hospitalists, nurses and MAs.
Seattle boasts a diverse community with economic stability and the beauty of the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier. A mild climate encourages year-round outdoor activities. It also offers an impressive and eclectic mix of arts-related entertainment, including theatres, museums and performing art centers. If you are a sports fan, Seattle is home to collegiate athletics and professional sports, including football, baseball and soccer.
Swedish offers an excellent compensation and benefits package. If you are interested, or for more information, please e-mail your CV to Sheila Sampatacos, at sheila.sampatacos@swedish.org.
