UHN, Boehringer Ingelheim partner to improve care, education and support for hepatitis C patients

Boehringer Ingelheim makes significant investment in groundbreaking hepatitis C program with two leading researchers from the Francis Family Liver Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital University Health Network

In a move to address a significant unmet need in hepatitis C in Canada, the University Health Network (UHN), together with Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. (BICL), announced today a multi-year partnership that aims to improve care, education and support for patients with hepatitis C. The program, known as Link-C, aims to improve access to hepatitis C care and treatment in remote areas of Ontario and other parts of Canada.

A large number of Canadians with hepatitis C remain undiagnosed. According to a single estimate, 21 per cent of Canadians infected with hepatitis C remain undiagnosed, however, some experts believe that this figure may be higher. In addition, many Canadians, particularly those living in remote areas, lack access to local care and treatment. While hepatitis C is an infection that can be cured, hepatitis C treatment and management is highly specialized and available from a limited group of health care providers with such expertise.

The UHN/BICL partnership, which is supported through a $600,000 grant from BICL, is designed to support and motivate additional health care providers in rural areas to develop the expertise necessary to treat the disease. These funds will be focused on training physicians to actively engage and inform patients about the risk factors and optimal treatment options. Furthermore, the program will also inform recommendations for an optimal screening program.

"We recognize that an alarming number of Canadians lack timely access to hepatitis C care, which is why we've developed the Link-C program," said Dr. Jordan Feld, Francis Family Liver Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital, a part of the University Health Network. "The diagnosis can be life-changing, yet there is a gap in awareness among patients and caregivers about the disease itself, its implications and treatment options. Link-C will bring education and support to more health care professionals so that we can improve care for the men and women with hepatitis C in Canada."

Hepatitis C affects at least 240,000 Canadians with some estimates as high as 400,000. Left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to scarring of the liver, liver failure and potentially liver cancer. As there are a limited number of physicians who treat hepatitis C, patients can experience lengthy wait times. The goal of Link-C is to broaden the pool of health care professionals with expertise in hepatitis C, thereby increasing the number of health care professionals who can diagnose, treat and manage the disease.

"In addition to equipping additional health care providers with the expertise to identify and treat hepatitis C, Link-C will also engage and inform patients about the risk factors, symptoms and treatment options," said Dr. Hemant Shah, Director of Education, Francis Family Liver Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital. "Ultimately, I think a program like Link-C will help build towards a national screening program. Hepatitis C is the only chronic viral infection that is curable, so the more we can provide access to information and education for patients and caregivers, the more effective we will be at ensuring that patients can deal with and manage this condition before it yields further and much more serious complications such as liver failure and cancer."

According to data from 2009, approximately 10,000 to 12,000 new cases of hepatitis C are diagnosed in Canada each year. Increasing the number of health care providers who can treat and manage hepatitis C will help diagnose and cure the growing number of patients living with this disease.

Boehringer Ingelheim is working with hepatitis C experts to address the unmet medical need of many Canadians with this disease. "As a leader in advanced therapeutics for infectious diseases, including hepatitis C, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. could not be more pleased to be partnering with the University Health Network on this program to address a significant area of unmet need facing hepatitis C patients," said Dr. Ted Witek, president and CEO, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd . "We are delighted to be supporting the Link-C program, which will address some of the critical barriers to better care for both patients with hepatitis C and those who treat it."