Overcoming barriers to HIV prevention: population health considerations on optimizing PrEP access.

The HIV epidemic remains a critical public health priority in the United States. The Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative seeks to reduce HIV diagnoses by 75% by 2025 and by 90% by 2030. Certain demographic groups-including transgender women, cisgender Black women, and Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men-are disproportionately affected by HIV.

Impact of a Pharmacist-Led HCV Treatment Program at a Federally Qualified Health Center.

Unlabelled: Pharmacists are key players who can help to eliminate the hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic in the United States. This pilot retrospective study evaluated the impact of a pharmacist-led HCV treatment program in a federally qualified health center (FQHC) primary care clinic setting. The primary outcome was to assess sustained virologic response (SVR) rates 12 weeks after patients were initiated and completed their oral direct acting antiviral (DAA) treatment regimens.

Use of virtual games for interactive learning in a pharmacy curriculum.

Background And Purpose: To evaluate student pharmacists' attitudes and satisfaction toward playing educational virtual games in the classroom.

Educational Activity And Setting: Virtual games were played in the classroom setting. First year student pharmacists participated in two Mimycx quests in the Healthcare Communication and the Psychiatry/Neurology courses.

New combination antiviral for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Purpose: The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and safety of Viekira, as well as its place in hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy, are reviewed.

Summary: Ombitasvir 25 mg-paritaprevir 150 mg-ritonavir 100 mg plus dasabuvir 250 mg (Viekira) is approved in the United States as a combination direct-acting antiviral agent for treatment-naive or treatment-experienced patients with HCV genotype 1 infection, including those with compensated cirrhosis. It is the first coformulated direct-acting antiviral that targets different stages of the virus's life cycle.

Boceprevir: a recently approved protease inhibitor for hepatitis C virus infection.

Purpose: The pharmacologic properties, clinical efficacy, and safety profile of the first oral protease inhibitor approved for the treatment of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 are reviewed.

Summary: Boceprevir, approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an adjunct to the standard regimen for HCV genotype 1 infection (peginterferon alfa and ribavirin), is available in 200-mg capsules, to be administered thrice daily at seven-to nine-hour intervals (total daily dose, 2400 mg). In two Phase III clinical trials involving a total of nearly 1500 previously untreated patients who were not sufficiently responsive to or had relapsed after standard therapy, the adjunctive use of boceprevir was associated with significantly higher rates of sustained virologic response and a shorter cumulative duration of treatment.