Mr. Jean-Guy Gaudreault, of the Outaouais region, was the first patient of Health Services International.
For that event, Mrs. Lucie Vermette, president of Health Services International, was determined to herself accompany Mr. Gaudreault to Havana. She even stayed in the same hospital ward, to see for herself the quality of care, the cleanliness and the quality of food service. The hospital was very comfortable, with sunny terraces, lawn chairs, and above all, friendly personnel.
In so doing, Mrs. Vermette watched over the well-being of her client. In Mr. Gaudreault’s free time, they even did some sight-seeing together.
Mr. Gaudreault went to Havana simply for a diagnosis. He had some serious symptoms: recurrent violent headaches and severe digestion problems. But here in Quebec doctors found nothing wrong. He was deeply worried. Both of his sisters had died of cancer and Mr. Gaudreault wanted to know what to expect.
Several Cuban specialists put him through a series of tests and finally found a minor bacterial infection in his stomach.
Mr. Gaudreault returned from Havana reassured about his health condition, with a simple prescription to be filled.
When heard from last, Mr. Gaudreault said that he is relieved to be freed of his headaches and is happy to finally feel in better health.
He does not regret for a moment his brief stay in Cuba and recommends to anyone who has health problems to take steps to regain good health and to be freed from worry.
Source : Health Services International
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Master of Health Informatics at the University of Toronto
 | |
New Program in 2008*
The Master of Health Informatics (MHI) is a newly created professional, graduate-level program. This innovative program provides graduates with the expertise in clinical, information and communication technologies required to lead organizational and health system change.
Innovative and Comprehensive ProgramThe MHI prepares health informaticians – clinically and technically savvy solution architects who are able to bridge the gap between clinicians, and information and communication technology (ICT) specialists.
Expand Your Career OpportunitiesThe Master of Health Informatics is ideal for individuals in their early career or those with an established career who wish to expand their role. It will hold particular interest for:
* Pending Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS) approval | |
Today’s health care providers have access to more data than ever before. But effectively managing and using that clinical and administrative information has become a major challenge. Health informatics holds the key. Monday, March 10, 2008
What is the Alberta Netcare EHR?
The Alberta Netcare EHR is a secure lifetime record of an Albertan's key health information available for consultation by authorized health service providers. It is not a patient's full health or medical record.
Today, many physicians, pharmacists and other health service providers are recording information about their patients electronically, rather than in paper files. This information may be stored in a local electronic medical record or in a clinical information system. Labs, pharmacies, diagnostic services and community clinics are also capturing and storing information electronically.
Alberta Netcare EHR captures several key data elements from these clinical records for inclusion in a patient's provincial electronic health record. The information elements that are part of the Alberta Netcare EHR include:
- personal demographic information that helps to uniquely identify each patient
- prescribed dispensed drugs
- known allergies and intolerances
- immunizations
- laboratory test results
- diagnostic imaging reports
- other medical reports
The information available for access by an Alberta Netcare EHR Portal authorized health service provider varies according to the access permissions assigned to that provider.
Alberta Netcare EHR Portal also offers authorized health service providers several decision support tools including:
- drug-to-drug and drug-to-allergy interaction alerts to avoid prescriptions that conflict
- a database of all available drugs and their common dosages
- links to information support such as Clinical Guidelines from the Alberta Medical Association.
Contents of the EHR are maintained and updated in two ways:
- Primarily, information is automatically accessed and captured from the existing electronic data systems of pharmacies, labs, regional clinics and diagnostic services. This means that this information is not re-keyed or re-entered by anyone, it is gathered from source systems. Our partners in this process include all the health regions and the Alberta Cancer Board.
- Additionally, some information can be entered directly into a record by an Alberta Netcare authorized health service provider.
Benefits of the Alberta Netcare EHR
a) For Patients
The Alberta Netcare EHR improves the quality and safety of patient care by:
- Providing more accurate and up-to-date medical information about a patient.
- Presenting this information immediately at the point of care which reduces delays in treatment, helps to ensure the most appropriate treatment decisions are made, and improves health outcomes.
- Reducing the possibility of medical error by improving the completeness, accuracy and clarity of medical records accessed at the point of care.
- Streamlining the secure sharing of health information between health service providers to improve the quality of patient care.
- Giving authorized health service providers a common understanding of a patient's health condition, preventing unnecessary treatments and adverse events, such as harmful prescription drug interactions.
- Reducing unnecessary duplication of tests, such as lab work.
b) For Authorized Health Service Providers
The Alberta Netcare EHR provides access to available information at the point of care. It gives health service providers access to key patient information along with online decision support and reference tools. It also helps reduce the possibility of medical errors, assists with compliance issues, and decreases the potential for adverse drug reactions. Features like lab value trends and drug monographs also help with patient consultations.
New program from Saskatchewan Health Quality Council aims to help clinics, specialists improve access to services
International expert to serve as adviser
SASKATOON, March 6 /CNW/ - Lengthy waiting lists, patient no-shows, and frantic workdays could become a thing of the past for health care providers in Saskatchewan, thanks to a new program being offered by the Health Quality Council, in conjunction with an international expert in improving access.
Clinical Practice Redesign (CPR) is a method proven to decrease wait times and missed appointments as well as improve patient/provider satisfaction and efficiency. The approach has been used successfully by some providers in Saskatchewan and other provinces, as well as in the United States. The Health Quality Council is offering CPR School, a hands-on training program for anyone interested in learning the method - clinicians, office managers, and medical assistants.
Catherine Tantau, an internationally recognized authority on access, efficiency, and patient flow through health care systems, is the expert adviser to the program. Ms. Tantau led the creation and implementation of the Clinical Practice Redesign model. She has worked with hundreds of health care organizations in the U.S. and Europe on improving access and efficiency, including the National Health Service of Great Britain and Kaiser Permanente in California.
The Clinical Practice Redesign method applies to any appointment or referral based system. The tools and techniques help practices understand their supply (available appointments) and demand (requests for appointments) and find ways of better matching supply and demand.
"When you have a waiting list that's two or three months long, it might seem like you don't have enough people or appointment slots to meet the demand," says Bonnie Brossart, CEO of Health Quality Council. "Practices are often surprised to discover that they have enough capacity; clinical practice
redesign is about helping providers and office staff understand their system and use their capacity more effectively. It takes some work, but the end result is a more efficient office that allows patients to be seen in a timely manner and providers to spend more time with their patients."
The Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) and the Ministry of Health are supporting this initiative by sponsoring spots in the program for ten physician practices.
CPR School will begin its first training sessions in April 2008. There are a limited number of spots available to interested participants. More information is available on the Health Quality Council web site: www.hqc.sk.ca/cpr or by calling (306)668-8810, ext. 104.
SASKATOON, March 6 /CNW/ - Lengthy waiting lists, patient no-shows, and frantic workdays could become a thing of the past for health care providers in Saskatchewan, thanks to a new program being offered by the Health Quality Council, in conjunction with an international expert in improving access.
Clinical Practice Redesign (CPR) is a method proven to decrease wait times and missed appointments as well as improve patient/provider satisfaction and efficiency. The approach has been used successfully by some providers in Saskatchewan and other provinces, as well as in the United States. The Health Quality Council is offering CPR School, a hands-on training program for anyone interested in learning the method - clinicians, office managers, and medical assistants.
Catherine Tantau, an internationally recognized authority on access, efficiency, and patient flow through health care systems, is the expert adviser to the program. Ms. Tantau led the creation and implementation of the Clinical Practice Redesign model. She has worked with hundreds of health care organizations in the U.S. and Europe on improving access and efficiency, including the National Health Service of Great Britain and Kaiser Permanente in California.
The Clinical Practice Redesign method applies to any appointment or referral based system. The tools and techniques help practices understand their supply (available appointments) and demand (requests for appointments) and find ways of better matching supply and demand.
"When you have a waiting list that's two or three months long, it might seem like you don't have enough people or appointment slots to meet the demand," says Bonnie Brossart, CEO of Health Quality Council. "Practices are often surprised to discover that they have enough capacity; clinical practice
redesign is about helping providers and office staff understand their system and use their capacity more effectively. It takes some work, but the end result is a more efficient office that allows patients to be seen in a timely manner and providers to spend more time with their patients."
The Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) and the Ministry of Health are supporting this initiative by sponsoring spots in the program for ten physician practices.
CPR School will begin its first training sessions in April 2008. There are a limited number of spots available to interested participants. More information is available on the Health Quality Council web site: www.hqc.sk.ca/cpr or by calling (306)668-8810, ext. 104.
Wait Times in Canada's Provinces
The primary responsibility for the administration and delivery of health care in Canada is at the provincial level. Provinces and territories are actively advancing initiatives to improve wait times through centralized registries and prioritization systems. Several provinces are now posting wait times information electronically. The following are some examples of provincial and territorial initiatives to reduce or improve wait times management.
British Columbia Surgical Wait List Registry- Alberta Wait List Registry
- Saskatchewan Surgical Care Network
- Manitoba Health Services Wait Time Information
- Ontario's Wait Time Strategy Website
- Ontario's Cardiac Care Network
- Ontario's Cancer Care Wait Times Website
- Quebec's Web site on Surgery and Treatment Waiting Lists
- New Brunswick Surgical Care Network
- Nova Scotia Wait Times
Friday, March 7, 2008
A ten-year pain resolved in 2 weeks
It was by a lucky chance that Mme Dominique Forget was delegated to cover the press conference with Health Services International in Montreal in June of 2007. She interviewed several people who had returned from Cuba healed and relieved.
For several years She had considered going to Cuba to seek treatment for her chronic back pain.
For over ten years she had to take extended absences from work when the pain was too intense. She was not able to lie down or to sit for extended periods, which lead to a chronic sleep deficit. For her it was ten difficult years as no specialist here could find the medical solution.
For her, this press conference was the spark…she decided to try the renowned orthopaedic specialists in Cuba.
Only a few hours after arriving in Cuba, the doctors diagnosed a fracture in the sacrum. As this situation had been long untreated, there was noticeable wear on the fractured parts. The doctors proceeded with a bone graft to heal the fracture. Two weeks later, she was on her way home, relieved of her pain and hopeful.
Her life now has changed. She no longer needs to take the large quantities of pain-killers, with all the unpleasant side-effects.
“My only solution was to pay to get answers to my questions, so that finally I could be taken seriously and not have them doubt the fact that I was in pain. I am not saying that all the doctors here doubted my pain. They sent me to the pain clinic where they gave me some heavy medication that allowed me to endure the pain and to be able to sleep for a few weeks. I was left with the worry, discouragement and despair. This was to be a necessary part of my life.”
“The difference with the Cubans is in the team work approach. Several doctors met to discuss my case before my orthopaedist came to tell me the results. Every day I saw the team of 6 doctors who had participated in my operation and each one of them closely followed my case. Clearly, the quality of Cuban doctors has given them a very good reputation, and I would add that there are also very good doctors here in Canada. I could have gone to a private clinic but I had lost confidence that they would find anything. After 11 years, anyone could be discouraged.”
For several years She had considered going to Cuba to seek treatment for her chronic back pain.
For over ten years she had to take extended absences from work when the pain was too intense. She was not able to lie down or to sit for extended periods, which lead to a chronic sleep deficit. For her it was ten difficult years as no specialist here could find the medical solution.
For her, this press conference was the spark…she decided to try the renowned orthopaedic specialists in Cuba.
Only a few hours after arriving in Cuba, the doctors diagnosed a fracture in the sacrum. As this situation had been long untreated, there was noticeable wear on the fractured parts. The doctors proceeded with a bone graft to heal the fracture. Two weeks later, she was on her way home, relieved of her pain and hopeful.
Her life now has changed. She no longer needs to take the large quantities of pain-killers, with all the unpleasant side-effects.
“My only solution was to pay to get answers to my questions, so that finally I could be taken seriously and not have them doubt the fact that I was in pain. I am not saying that all the doctors here doubted my pain. They sent me to the pain clinic where they gave me some heavy medication that allowed me to endure the pain and to be able to sleep for a few weeks. I was left with the worry, discouragement and despair. This was to be a necessary part of my life.”
“The difference with the Cubans is in the team work approach. Several doctors met to discuss my case before my orthopaedist came to tell me the results. Every day I saw the team of 6 doctors who had participated in my operation and each one of them closely followed my case. Clearly, the quality of Cuban doctors has given them a very good reputation, and I would add that there are also very good doctors here in Canada. I could have gone to a private clinic but I had lost confidence that they would find anything. After 11 years, anyone could be discouraged.”
Thursday, March 6, 2008
A Canadian Woman Determined Not to go Blind heads to Cuba
Ms. Anne Lortie collapsed in tears the day that she was advised, in a nonchalant way, that she would go blind in a few years. The only help offered was to suggest she sign up for white cane courses at the Braille Institute
She was not able to accept oncoming blindness without trying to do something. That was when she found out about treatments in Cuba for Retinosis Pigmentaria. The operation and treatments usually stop the degeneration and often permit recuperation of at least a part of lost vision.
She sent her medical history to Cuba, but after a year had received no answer.
It was in January of 2007, when she learned of Health Services International, that she sent her dossier to see if it was possible for her to obtain the “miraculous operation”.
In February of 2007, Ms Lortie’s dream came true and she embarked for Havana to have her operation and treatments.
Victory!...the degeneration is stopped…she will not go blind! More than that, she actually recovered a part of the vision that had been lost.
Ms. Lortie wants all Canadians stricken by this disease to know that they need not be afraid to receive treatments in Cuba, that Cuban doctors have a treatment for this ailment and that they are very competent.
Patients from a number of countries have shown that this treatment is not new nor unknown to the medical community. Why then this reticence, when the results speak for themselves and patients come home with joy and relief?
Ms Lortie left for Cuba in spite of negative advice and dire warnings about this treatment. She does not regret for an instant the decision to regain her eyesight and prepare for a better life.
Source : Health Services International
She was not able to accept oncoming blindness without trying to do something. That was when she found out about treatments in Cuba for Retinosis Pigmentaria. The operation and treatments usually stop the degeneration and often permit recuperation of at least a part of lost vision.
She sent her medical history to Cuba, but after a year had received no answer.
It was in January of 2007, when she learned of Health Services International, that she sent her dossier to see if it was possible for her to obtain the “miraculous operation”.
In February of 2007, Ms Lortie’s dream came true and she embarked for Havana to have her operation and treatments.
Victory!...the degeneration is stopped…she will not go blind! More than that, she actually recovered a part of the vision that had been lost.
Ms. Lortie wants all Canadians stricken by this disease to know that they need not be afraid to receive treatments in Cuba, that Cuban doctors have a treatment for this ailment and that they are very competent.
Patients from a number of countries have shown that this treatment is not new nor unknown to the medical community. Why then this reticence, when the results speak for themselves and patients come home with joy and relief?
Ms Lortie left for Cuba in spite of negative advice and dire warnings about this treatment. She does not regret for an instant the decision to regain her eyesight and prepare for a better life.
Source : Health Services International
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
RFID technology can help save lives in health-care sector – and preserve privacy: Commissioner Cavoukian and HP Canada
Wide-sweeping developments – including potentially life-saving uses – in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for the health sector have been advancing in lock-step with concerns about the privacy implications of deploying this nascent “auto-ID” information technology.
Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D., in collaboration with Hewlett-Packard (HP) Canada, released a joint whitepaper, RFID and Privacy: Guidance for Health-Care Providers, which is aimed at cutting through the mists of uncertainty over the potential application of RFID technology in the health sector and the privacy implications of its uses.
In the U.S., for example, some health-care providers are already using RFID-based systems to track equipment, instruments and sponges used in surgery to ensure that nothing is left behind inside a patient. And some health-care providers are already using RFID-enabled labels to track specimens and laboratory results to ensure that they are not misplaced, as well as tracing pharmaceutical products to ensure that the correct medication and dosage is being administered. More than 400 U.S. hospitals are currently using RFID-based, baby-and-mother matching systems to prevent mix-ups and abductions – the RFID system triggers a lock-down if an infant is removed from a secured area without authorization.
According to Commissioner Cavoukian everyone from health-care providers to patients to privacy advocates wants the best tracking technology possible in the health sector, without the needless invasion of privacy; this can easily be achieved and become a positive-sum ‘win-win’ model for everyone, not a zero-sum scenario.
The objective of the joint paper is to assist health-care providers in understanding the current and potential applications of RFID technology, the potential benefits, the information privacy implications associated with its uses, and the steps that may be taken to mitigate any potential privacy risks.
And according to Victor Garcia, Chief Technology Officer for HP Canada, the health-care sector can reap the benefits of RFID technology and make a considerable difference to patient care. RFID can save lives while the potential risks to privacy infringement can be recognized and addressed early on with governance guidelines and training, so that health-care providers will be able to take full advantage of RFID innovations. This approach will take patient care to a whole new level.
The joint paper, RFID and Privacy: Guidance for Health-Care Providers, examines a wide variety of RFID applications for the health-care sector, organizing them into three broad categories according to the increasing level of potential risk to privacy: RFID technology to track things alone; RFID technology to track things associated with people; and RFID technology to track people.
Both the Commissioner and HP believe that this paper will serve as a benchmark reference source for health-care providers to realize the benefits of RFID adoption while ensuring respect for patient privacy and a credible program of responsible information governance.
The paper is available here.
About the IPC
The Information and Privacy Commissioner is appointed by and reports to the Ontario Legislative Assembly, and is independent of the government of the day. The Commissioner's mandate includes overseeing the access and privacy provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as the Personal Health Information Protection Act, and helping to educate the public about access and privacy issues.
About HP
HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $104.3 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended October 31, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com
Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D., in collaboration with Hewlett-Packard (HP) Canada, released a joint whitepaper, RFID and Privacy: Guidance for Health-Care Providers, which is aimed at cutting through the mists of uncertainty over the potential application of RFID technology in the health sector and the privacy implications of its uses.
In the U.S., for example, some health-care providers are already using RFID-based systems to track equipment, instruments and sponges used in surgery to ensure that nothing is left behind inside a patient. And some health-care providers are already using RFID-enabled labels to track specimens and laboratory results to ensure that they are not misplaced, as well as tracing pharmaceutical products to ensure that the correct medication and dosage is being administered. More than 400 U.S. hospitals are currently using RFID-based, baby-and-mother matching systems to prevent mix-ups and abductions – the RFID system triggers a lock-down if an infant is removed from a secured area without authorization.
According to Commissioner Cavoukian everyone from health-care providers to patients to privacy advocates wants the best tracking technology possible in the health sector, without the needless invasion of privacy; this can easily be achieved and become a positive-sum ‘win-win’ model for everyone, not a zero-sum scenario.
The objective of the joint paper is to assist health-care providers in understanding the current and potential applications of RFID technology, the potential benefits, the information privacy implications associated with its uses, and the steps that may be taken to mitigate any potential privacy risks.
And according to Victor Garcia, Chief Technology Officer for HP Canada, the health-care sector can reap the benefits of RFID technology and make a considerable difference to patient care. RFID can save lives while the potential risks to privacy infringement can be recognized and addressed early on with governance guidelines and training, so that health-care providers will be able to take full advantage of RFID innovations. This approach will take patient care to a whole new level.
The joint paper, RFID and Privacy: Guidance for Health-Care Providers, examines a wide variety of RFID applications for the health-care sector, organizing them into three broad categories according to the increasing level of potential risk to privacy: RFID technology to track things alone; RFID technology to track things associated with people; and RFID technology to track people.
Both the Commissioner and HP believe that this paper will serve as a benchmark reference source for health-care providers to realize the benefits of RFID adoption while ensuring respect for patient privacy and a credible program of responsible information governance.
The paper is available here.
About the IPC
The Information and Privacy Commissioner is appointed by and reports to the Ontario Legislative Assembly, and is independent of the government of the day. The Commissioner's mandate includes overseeing the access and privacy provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as the Personal Health Information Protection Act, and helping to educate the public about access and privacy issues.
About HP
HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $104.3 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended October 31, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Cuba, to the rescue..!!!
Quality medical services, without waiting
TORONTO, March 4 /CNW Telbec/ - As waiting lists get longer, medical tourism becomes a way to get quality medical services, without waiting. Health Services International is a non profit organization which has recently begun arranging medical services in Cuba for Canadians.
Cuba has been developing medical tourism for over 20 years. Cuban doctors are now recognised as some of the world's finest. In the last 5 years, over 35 thousand patients from 32 countries have benifited from Cuban Medical expertise.
Many Cuban hospitals are certified ISO 14,001 and ISO 9001 which are international standards of cleanliness and excellance. The reputation of Cuban hospitals is well established. Many Canadians have returned from Cuba healed and reassured and are ready to tell their stories.
This was the case of Mrs. Dominique Forget who suffered severe back pain for 10 years. With less than 2 weeks in Cuba, her problem was cured and her life was transformed.
Note the case of Manon Lefrançois, a young woman forced to cancel business trips as it had become too painful to remain seated for long periods. Her doctor in Quebec told her to come back : ''when she could no longer walk''. She went to Cuba for orthopaedic surgery and today she travels the world and her business prospers.
Similarly, Mrs Anne Lortie, a young mother informed that she would go blind within two years as she had retinitis pigmentosa. The only help offered was to suggest that she register with the Braille Institute.
Specialists in Canada maintain that there is no treatment for this degenerative disease. Patients who inquire about treatments given in Cuba receive dire warnings from specialists here. But, Health Services International has helped over a dozen Canadians get treatment for this disease. After an operation and treatments, these clients of HSI will not go blind. Imagine their joy to look forward to the hope of a normal life again, after the despair of a cruel diagnosis.
The full range of medical services are available in Cuba: major surgery, diagnoses, aesthetic surgery, skin care treatments, thalassotherapy and a highly regarded drug rehabilitation program.
Health Services International has an agreement with Cubanacan Turismo Y Salud, to make access to Cuban medical services easier for Canadians. H.S.I. maintains communications between Canadian patients and Cuban medical services and arranges all the details for treatment and travel. Contact: Sandy Rhéaume, Vice President, Health Services International (HSI), (418) 479-2942, Cell: (418) 654-6762, info@hsi-ssi.com
TORONTO, March 4 /CNW Telbec/ - As waiting lists get longer, medical tourism becomes a way to get quality medical services, without waiting. Health Services International is a non profit organization which has recently begun arranging medical services in Cuba for Canadians.
Cuba has been developing medical tourism for over 20 years. Cuban doctors are now recognised as some of the world's finest. In the last 5 years, over 35 thousand patients from 32 countries have benifited from Cuban Medical expertise.
Many Cuban hospitals are certified ISO 14,001 and ISO 9001 which are international standards of cleanliness and excellance. The reputation of Cuban hospitals is well established. Many Canadians have returned from Cuba healed and reassured and are ready to tell their stories.
This was the case of Mrs. Dominique Forget who suffered severe back pain for 10 years. With less than 2 weeks in Cuba, her problem was cured and her life was transformed.
Note the case of Manon Lefrançois, a young woman forced to cancel business trips as it had become too painful to remain seated for long periods. Her doctor in Quebec told her to come back : ''when she could no longer walk''. She went to Cuba for orthopaedic surgery and today she travels the world and her business prospers.
Similarly, Mrs Anne Lortie, a young mother informed that she would go blind within two years as she had retinitis pigmentosa. The only help offered was to suggest that she register with the Braille Institute.
Specialists in Canada maintain that there is no treatment for this degenerative disease. Patients who inquire about treatments given in Cuba receive dire warnings from specialists here. But, Health Services International has helped over a dozen Canadians get treatment for this disease. After an operation and treatments, these clients of HSI will not go blind. Imagine their joy to look forward to the hope of a normal life again, after the despair of a cruel diagnosis.
The full range of medical services are available in Cuba: major surgery, diagnoses, aesthetic surgery, skin care treatments, thalassotherapy and a highly regarded drug rehabilitation program.
Health Services International has an agreement with Cubanacan Turismo Y Salud, to make access to Cuban medical services easier for Canadians. H.S.I. maintains communications between Canadian patients and Cuban medical services and arranges all the details for treatment and travel. Contact: Sandy Rhéaume, Vice President, Health Services International (HSI), (418) 479-2942, Cell: (418) 654-6762, info@hsi-ssi.com
International symposium reports on the use of antivirals [including TAMIFLU] in patients with H5N1
MISSISSAUGA, ON, March 4 /CNW/ - Physicians from countries affected by the deadly H5N1 influenza virus (bird or avian flu) have presented case reports about antiviral use in patients infected with H5N1, including treatment with the oral antiviral TAMIFLU(R) (oseltamivir). The physicians' reports were revealed this week at the International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections (ISRVI) in Singapore.(1)
TAMIFLU is approved for both the treatment and post-exposure prevention (prophylaxis) of influenza in adults and in children one year and older. Studies supporting the approval of TAMIFLU are based in seasonal influenza. The magnitude of effect of TAMIFLU in treating and preventing novel strains of influenza (such as those that may be involved in a pandemic or associated with avian flu) cannot be predicted as it has not been studied or approved in a pandemic scenario. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that higher doses and longer treatment durations may be required to combat novel strains of influenza.
According to the WHO, the H5N1 virus has already killed 234 people in 12 countries.(2) In the most recent clinical management guidelines issued by the WHO, TAMIFLU remains the primary antiviral agent of choice for the treatment of H5N1 virus infections.(3)
Symposium findings
In Indonesia, of the total of 119 H5N1 human cases reported, 22 survived - an 18 per cent survival rate overall. Of the 119, 33 patients received no TAMIFLU, all of whom died. TAMIFLU was administered to the other 86 patients, with a 26 per cent survival rate overall. Time from onset of illness to initiation of treatment appeared to influence survival. Of the two patients who received TAMIFLU within 24 hours of illness onset, both survived. If given the drug within four days, 55 per cent survived (6/11), and 35 per cent survived if given TAMIFLU within six days (13/37).(4) The survival rate of those receiving it later than six days after illness onset was 18 per cent(9/49).(2)
Recent information about eight Vietnamese patients infected with H5N1 was also presented. All eight patients received TAMIFLU, however, all eight patients presented to the hospital later than five days after onset of illness. Only three of the eight patients survived reinforcing that treatment benefit is reduced for patients that receive the drug later in the course of illness.(4),(5) In two patients who were unable to take the drug orally due to the severity of their illness, physicians administered the drug by nasogastric tube and found it was well absorbed and there was a reduction in H5N1 virus in these patients.
Susceptibility of circulating H5N1 strains to TAMIFLU
These clinical findings are supported by animal data, also presented at ISRVI, which shows that oseltamivir treatment was effective against H5N1 influenza viruses representing different clades/subclades. However, higher doses were required for the more pathogenic H5N1 viruses.(6)
According to study author Dr. Elena Govorkova from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, US., multiple factors can affect the susceptibility of antiviral therapy with highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses and it is reassuring that oseltamivir, in mouse models, demonstrates activity even to the most pathogenic circulating strains. She adds that antiviral drugs are an essential component for the early control of an influenza pandemic.
Data also confirms the low level of resistance reported to-date with TAMIFLU to H5N1 avian influenza in the field; there are only five cases of published reports of H5N1 resistance or reduced susceptibility to TAMIFLU to date.(7),(8),(9) Laboratory results have shown 96 per cent of H5N1 strains (53 out of 55) tested in the laboratory were sensitive to TAMIFLU.(10)
This compares to the around 14 per cent of isolates tested this year of the seasonal influenza A H1N1 virus showing resistance to TAMIFLU, reported at the conference.(11) It is important to note that these increased levels of resistance have only been reported spontaneously in this year's H1N1 (Solomon Islands) seasonal strain, and not an avian strain such as H5N1, and not in patients who have been administered TAMIFLU.(12)
Dr. David Reddy, Global Pandemic Task Force Leader at Roche noted that currently, they are seeing that TAMIFLU has been used as part of the clinical management of patients infected with H5N1 with only isolated cases of resistance being reported. This, he adds, is reassuring for governments that have stockpiled TAMIFLU for pandemic use while it is critical that the company and the medical community remain vigilant in order to nderstand this mutating virus and be best prepared for defence against a potential pandemic strain.
Roche has undertaken several research initiatives to study the use of TAMIFLU against the evolving H5N1 avian influenza virus, including collaborations with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Southeast Asia Influenza Clinical Trials Research Network, and other research institutions.
Flu 101 | Back to Basics
Difference between a pandemic strain of influenza and seasonal influenza
A pandemic strain of influenza is always of the A variety and is a completely new strain to which there will be no immunity. A seasonal strain of influenza is one that has previously been circulating, which may have changed slightly (antigenic drift) and to which a level of immunity exists.
About pandemic influenza
An influenza pandemic occurs when a new strain of influenza A virus appears, against which the human population has no immunity resulting in several, simultaneous epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness. The most severe influenza pandemics to date include: 'Spanish flu' A (H1N1): 1918 caused in excess of 30 million deaths worldwide; 'Asian flu' A (H2N2): 1958 caused one million deaths worldwide; 'Hong Kong flu' A (H3N2): 1968 caused 800,000 deaths worldwide in six weeks. The WHO believes that we are as close to the next pandemic as we have been at any time in the past 37 years, with two of the three widely-recognized prerequisites for a human pandemic met to date in the avian influenza outbreak in East Asia. Firstly, a new influenza virus strain has emerged (H5N1), and secondly, the virus has spread to humans. The final barrier will be the effective transmission of the virus from human to human.
About TAMIFLU
TAMIFLU is designed to be active against all clinically relevant influenza viruses and works by blocking the action of the neuraminidase (NA) enzyme on the surface of the virus. When neuraminidase is inhibited, the spread of the virus to other cells in the body is inhibited. It is licensed for the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza in children aged one year and above and in adults. The most frequently reported adverse events in clinical studies were nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. TAMIFLU is available for the treatment of influenza in more than 80 countries worldwide.
TAMIFLU was approved based on studies in seasonal influenza. The magnitude of effect of TAMIFLU in treating and preventing novel strains of influenza (such as those that may be involved in a pandemic or associated with avian flu) cannot be predicted. The WHO has recommended that higher doses and longer duration may be required.
Roche and Gilead
TAMIFLU was invented by Gilead Sciences and licensed to Roche in 1996. Roche and Gilead partnered on clinical development, with Roche leading efforts to produce, register and bring the product to the markets. Under the terms of the companies' agreement, amended in November 2005, Gilead participates with Roche in the consideration of sub-licenses for the pandemic supply of TAMIFLU in resource-limited countries. To ensure broader access to TAMIFLU for all patients in need, Gilead has agreed to waive its right to royalty payments for product sold under these sub-licenses.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a biotech company with a reputation for in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and with an ongoing interest in virology and therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system.
TAMIFLU is approved for both the treatment and post-exposure prevention (prophylaxis) of influenza in adults and in children one year and older. Studies supporting the approval of TAMIFLU are based in seasonal influenza. The magnitude of effect of TAMIFLU in treating and preventing novel strains of influenza (such as those that may be involved in a pandemic or associated with avian flu) cannot be predicted as it has not been studied or approved in a pandemic scenario. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that higher doses and longer treatment durations may be required to combat novel strains of influenza.
According to the WHO, the H5N1 virus has already killed 234 people in 12 countries.(2) In the most recent clinical management guidelines issued by the WHO, TAMIFLU remains the primary antiviral agent of choice for the treatment of H5N1 virus infections.(3)
Symposium findings
In Indonesia, of the total of 119 H5N1 human cases reported, 22 survived - an 18 per cent survival rate overall. Of the 119, 33 patients received no TAMIFLU, all of whom died. TAMIFLU was administered to the other 86 patients, with a 26 per cent survival rate overall. Time from onset of illness to initiation of treatment appeared to influence survival. Of the two patients who received TAMIFLU within 24 hours of illness onset, both survived. If given the drug within four days, 55 per cent survived (6/11), and 35 per cent survived if given TAMIFLU within six days (13/37).(4) The survival rate of those receiving it later than six days after illness onset was 18 per cent(9/49).(2)
Recent information about eight Vietnamese patients infected with H5N1 was also presented. All eight patients received TAMIFLU, however, all eight patients presented to the hospital later than five days after onset of illness. Only three of the eight patients survived reinforcing that treatment benefit is reduced for patients that receive the drug later in the course of illness.(4),(5) In two patients who were unable to take the drug orally due to the severity of their illness, physicians administered the drug by nasogastric tube and found it was well absorbed and there was a reduction in H5N1 virus in these patients.
Susceptibility of circulating H5N1 strains to TAMIFLU
These clinical findings are supported by animal data, also presented at ISRVI, which shows that oseltamivir treatment was effective against H5N1 influenza viruses representing different clades/subclades. However, higher doses were required for the more pathogenic H5N1 viruses.(6)
According to study author Dr. Elena Govorkova from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, US., multiple factors can affect the susceptibility of antiviral therapy with highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses and it is reassuring that oseltamivir, in mouse models, demonstrates activity even to the most pathogenic circulating strains. She adds that antiviral drugs are an essential component for the early control of an influenza pandemic.
Data also confirms the low level of resistance reported to-date with TAMIFLU to H5N1 avian influenza in the field; there are only five cases of published reports of H5N1 resistance or reduced susceptibility to TAMIFLU to date.(7),(8),(9) Laboratory results have shown 96 per cent of H5N1 strains (53 out of 55) tested in the laboratory were sensitive to TAMIFLU.(10)
This compares to the around 14 per cent of isolates tested this year of the seasonal influenza A H1N1 virus showing resistance to TAMIFLU, reported at the conference.(11) It is important to note that these increased levels of resistance have only been reported spontaneously in this year's H1N1 (Solomon Islands) seasonal strain, and not an avian strain such as H5N1, and not in patients who have been administered TAMIFLU.(12)
Dr. David Reddy, Global Pandemic Task Force Leader at Roche noted that currently, they are seeing that TAMIFLU has been used as part of the clinical management of patients infected with H5N1 with only isolated cases of resistance being reported. This, he adds, is reassuring for governments that have stockpiled TAMIFLU for pandemic use while it is critical that the company and the medical community remain vigilant in order to nderstand this mutating virus and be best prepared for defence against a potential pandemic strain.
Roche has undertaken several research initiatives to study the use of TAMIFLU against the evolving H5N1 avian influenza virus, including collaborations with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Southeast Asia Influenza Clinical Trials Research Network, and other research institutions.
Flu 101 | Back to Basics
Difference between a pandemic strain of influenza and seasonal influenza
A pandemic strain of influenza is always of the A variety and is a completely new strain to which there will be no immunity. A seasonal strain of influenza is one that has previously been circulating, which may have changed slightly (antigenic drift) and to which a level of immunity exists.
About pandemic influenza
An influenza pandemic occurs when a new strain of influenza A virus appears, against which the human population has no immunity resulting in several, simultaneous epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness. The most severe influenza pandemics to date include: 'Spanish flu' A (H1N1): 1918 caused in excess of 30 million deaths worldwide; 'Asian flu' A (H2N2): 1958 caused one million deaths worldwide; 'Hong Kong flu' A (H3N2): 1968 caused 800,000 deaths worldwide in six weeks. The WHO believes that we are as close to the next pandemic as we have been at any time in the past 37 years, with two of the three widely-recognized prerequisites for a human pandemic met to date in the avian influenza outbreak in East Asia. Firstly, a new influenza virus strain has emerged (H5N1), and secondly, the virus has spread to humans. The final barrier will be the effective transmission of the virus from human to human.
About TAMIFLU
TAMIFLU is designed to be active against all clinically relevant influenza viruses and works by blocking the action of the neuraminidase (NA) enzyme on the surface of the virus. When neuraminidase is inhibited, the spread of the virus to other cells in the body is inhibited. It is licensed for the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza in children aged one year and above and in adults. The most frequently reported adverse events in clinical studies were nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. TAMIFLU is available for the treatment of influenza in more than 80 countries worldwide.
TAMIFLU was approved based on studies in seasonal influenza. The magnitude of effect of TAMIFLU in treating and preventing novel strains of influenza (such as those that may be involved in a pandemic or associated with avian flu) cannot be predicted. The WHO has recommended that higher doses and longer duration may be required.
Roche and Gilead
TAMIFLU was invented by Gilead Sciences and licensed to Roche in 1996. Roche and Gilead partnered on clinical development, with Roche leading efforts to produce, register and bring the product to the markets. Under the terms of the companies' agreement, amended in November 2005, Gilead participates with Roche in the consideration of sub-licenses for the pandemic supply of TAMIFLU in resource-limited countries. To ensure broader access to TAMIFLU for all patients in need, Gilead has agreed to waive its right to royalty payments for product sold under these sub-licenses.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a biotech company with a reputation for in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and with an ongoing interest in virology and therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
