Help us save lives today!
September 2020
Announcing a new patient education tool from CME Outfitters
CME Outfitters, a company known for providing innovative, evidence-based digital continuing educational activities for medical professionals, recently unveiled a new hub of educational tools for patients living with hepatitis B.

The Hepatitis B Foundation is providing editorial content and advice to CME Outfitters for this effort, which is being launched with a three-month communications campaign.

The tool includes a hepatitis B overview, information on treatment and co-infections, and tools for communicating with your healthcare provider, among other resources. Check it out today; please click here.
Raising awareness among African immigrants and refugees
We commemorated Sept. 9 as National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV and Hepatitis Awareness Day (NAIRHHA) Day. This year, we are working with partners to raise awareness through a new toolkit for social media. The toolkit has creative and empowering health messages based on African proverbs. Click here to access the toolkit and please share it widely with your network!

We also will be hosting a virtual town hall to comemorate NAIRHAA Day on Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. EDT. For details on the town hall, please visit the CHIPO website here.
Bunmi's story: #justB Open!
After her father passed away, Bunmi had to request his death certificate in order to learn the cause of death: liver cancer.

She felt stifled by the lack of willingness within her family to talk about hepatitis B, and she wonders if old superstitions about illness in Nigeria are contributing to the stigma surrounding the virus both there and in African immigrant communities in the U.S.

She is determined to help end the silence.

Click here for more about Bunmi's story.
ASCO publishes new guidelines recommending
hep B testing prior to cancer treatment
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) published provisional guidelines this past July recommending that all people diagnosed with cancer be tested for hepatitis B before starting anticancer treatment.

According to the ASCO statement, up to 90% of people diagnosed with cancer have at least one risk factor for hepatitis B. Cancer treatments can suppress the immune system and cause the virus to reactivate, which can lead to serious liver damage or liver failure. The Hepatitis B Foundation applauds these updated guidelines, and strongly believes that this will save lives. Read more here.
ANRS HBV Cure Workshop webinar set for Sept. 16

The 7th ANRS HBV Cure Workshop will be held as an online webinar on Sept. 16.

Endorsed by the Hepatitis B Foundation, ICE-HBV and INSERM, the event starts at 1 p.m. Central European Summer Time. It is free-of-charge but registration is required. You can find the program and register here.
Top scientists lined up for the Blumberg Institute seminars
The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, which is the Hepatitis B Foundation's research arm, has a strong lineup of prominent
researchers in hepatitis B and liver diseases for its online Distinguished Speaker Seminars, which are free-of-charge and open to anyone interested (pre-registration is required).

Upcoming seminars are listed below in "Events" and on the Institute's website here, where you also can watch recording of prior Blumberg 2020 Research Seminars.

The next is Oct. 1. Nicholas van Buuren, Ph.D., Gilead Sciences, will discuss, "Integrated HBV DNA: Investigation of the architecture and potentional clinical Implications."
30th Anniversary of the Hepatitis B Foundation!
Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation will launch a yearlong celebration of our 30th Anniversary in January. Our annual Gala dinner, set for April 30, 2021, will be a focus, along with a special capstone event toward year’s end.

We’ll spread the word widely about this major milestone and, more importantly, the Foundation’s many accomplishments, through a series of videos, social media content, a 30th Anniversary website and feature stories in our newsletters. Please keep an eye out in the months ahead and help us celebrate 30 years together in service to the hepatitis B community.
Expanding the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center,
home of the Hepatitis B Foundation and Blumberg Institute
Construction has begun on a $19 million expansion of the nonprofit Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC). Managed by the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute (BSBI), which is the Hepatitis B Foundation’s research arm, the PABC is home to both the Foundation and BSBI. Blumberg Institute researchers are focused on hepatitis B and liver cancer. The PABC will be expanded by 40%, providing new labs, office space and more. For details, click here.
The new building will sit between two existing structures and the three will be linked.
Become a Hep B Champion today!
It’s easy to become a Hep B Champion! We rely on support from friends from all over the world to keep our programs and research going. By giving a small, monthly gift, you can help us find the cure and improve lives of people living with hepatitis B throughout the year! To become a Champion today, click here.
Foundation staffer is a prolific producer of journal articles
The Hepatitis B Foundation’s Public Health Program Director, Catherine Freeland, MPH, is setting an amazing pace in terms of publishing in scholarly journals. During July and August, she and co-authors had four articles published:

A predictive model for hepatitis B infection among high‐risk adults using a community‐based sample in greater Philadelphia, Journal of Viral Hepatitis, July 23, 2020

Understanding Barriers and Knowledge Related to Hepatitis B for Vietnamese Nail Salon Workers in the United States, Journal of Community Health, July 23, 2020

Susceptibility to Hepatitis A and B Virus Among Clients at a Syringe Services Program in Philadelphia, 2018, Public Health Reports, Aug.13, 2020

The Role of the Pharmacist in Prevention of Hepatitis B in the Context of the Opioid Crisis, Preventing Chronic Disease, Aug. 20, 2020
Hepatitis B Foundation journal pick of the month
Ultra long-term follow-up of interferon-alpha treatment for
HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B virus infection
Hanna, C.; van Campenhout, M.; van Vuure, A.; Krassenburg, L.;
Sonneveld, M.; Knegt, R.; Hansen, B.; Janssen, H.
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Sept. 1, 2020

In contrast to nucleo(s)tide analogue (NA) therapy, interferon-alpha (IFN-α) treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection leads to relatively higher functional cure rates (HBsAg loss). In a very long-term follow-up, the effects of pegylated (PEG)/conventional IFN-α treatment on clinical outcomes were evaluated in 267 CHB patients. Patients with both HBeAg and HBsAg loss showed significantly improved clinical outcomes. High rates of HBsAg loss were observed from a single (PEG)IFN-α course. The lasting benefits suggest that a role for IFN-α remains, potentially in novel combination therapies for the purpose of a functional cure. Please read more here.
Sept. 16 - 7th ANRS HBV Cure Workshop
Online

Oct. 1 - 11 a.m. EDT
Nicholas van Buuren Ph.D., Gilead Sciences
"Integrated HBV DNA: Investigation of the
Architecture and Potential Clinical Implications"

Dec. 2-4 - Hep B United Summit
Online
"Standing Up for Hepatitis B: Creative Collaborations to Amplify
Awareness, Access and Equity"

Dec. 3, 11 a.m. EDT
Stephen Urban, Ph.D., Department of Infectious Diseases
"Inhibitor of entry as a therapeutic for hepatitis B and D"

Dec. 10, 11 a.m. EDT
Dongfang Liu, MBBS, Ph.D, Professor of Pathology
Rutgers New Jersey School of Medicine
"Natural Killer (NK) cells from basic immunobiology to clinical application"
Learn more about our research and education programs at www.hepb.org
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.
Hepatitis B Foundation I 3805 Old Easton Road Doylestown, PA 18902 I
215-489-4900 I info@hepb.org