icon-folder.gif   Conference Reports for NATAP  
 
  EASL 44th Annual Meeting
April 22-26, 2009
Copenhagen, Denmark
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EPIC Study Shows Maintenance Therapy Provides Benefits
 
 
  Hello again from EASL where results will be presented for the "EPIC Cirrhosis Maintenance Trial" showing a benefit for maintenance therapy. And previously Ned Afdahl presented at last year's EASL that in the CO-PILOT Study maintenance therapy prevented clinical events. The problem is the HALT-C Study was poorly designed and did not show a benefit. Unfortuneately the HALT-C investigators don't want to admit their study was not well designed so after presenting at last year's EASL that patients with a 4-log viral load drop had some clinical benefit they went ahead and published their study results BUT they never made a public declaration that perhaps maintenance therapy has clinical benefit. After their initial presentation at AASLD in Nov 2007 they flatly declared maintenance therapy has no benefit. They mislead patients and care providers because CO-PILOT & EPIC demonstrate benefit. At DDW this year CO-PILOT final results will be presented and with the final results from EPIC here ay EASL I think the misinformation disseminated by HALT-C investigators will be corrected. The problem I think is that HALT-C was not properly designed to find benefit. I have said this before but with the EPIC data here and the CO-PILOT final results coming it is time to set the record straight so patients and doctors will have full information about maintenance therapy. I will report the findings presented here for EPIC. Jules Levin