Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Aug 28:7:105-111.
doi: 10.2147/IPRP.S169282. eCollection 2018.

Role of a clinical pharmacist as part of a multidisciplinary care team in the treatment of HCV in patients living with HIV/HCV coinfection

Antonio Olea Jr  1 , Janet Grochowski  1 , Anne F Luetkemeyer  1 , Valerie Robb  1 , Parya Saberi  2
Affiliations

Role of a clinical pharmacist as part of a multidisciplinary care team in the treatment of HCV in patients living with HIV/HCV coinfection

Antonio Olea Jr et al. Integr Pharm Res Pract. .

Abstract

Background: The objective of the study was to evaluate the role of a clinical pharmacist in hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment of patients living with HIV/HCV coinfection.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive study to quantify the functions of a clinical pharmacist in HCV treatment of patients living with HIV/HCV coinfection who were initiating HCV treatment at a publicly funded clinic between March 18, 2015 and September 15, 2016. The clinical pharmacist's role was categorized into eight categories: 1) HCV prior authorization (PA) completion; 2) HCV medication adherence counseling; 3) HCV drug-drug interaction (DDI) counseling and screening; 4) HCV medication counseling regarding common adverse events (AEs); 5) HCV counseling regarding HCV treatment outcomes and risk of reinfection; 6) ordering laboratory tests and interpretation of HCV laboratory values; 7) HIV medication AE assessment; and 8) other (including refilling medications and management of other comorbidities).

Results: One hundred and thirty-five patients initiated treatment during this timeframe: 77.0% were males, 56.3% non-cirrhotic, 77.0% HCV treatment-naïve, 45.9% HCV genotype 1a, and 83.0% initiated on ledipasvir/sofosbuvir. The clinical pharmacist completed 150 PAs, counseled on HCV medication adherence in 79.2% of patients, conducted HCV DDI counseling and screening in 54.2%, and monitored HCV medication AEs in 54.2%. The clinical pharmacist counseled patients on HCV treatment outcomes and risk of reinfection in 53.1%, ordered laboratory tests in 44.8%, and reported and interpreted laboratory values in 44.8%. The clinical pharmacist assessed HIV medication AEs in 54.2% of patients and participated in other activities in 42.7%.

Conclusion: A clinical pharmacist's expertise as part of a multidisciplinary care team facilitates optimal treatment outcomes and provides critical support in the management of DAA therapy in individuals living with HIV/HCV coinfection.

Keywords: HIV/HCV; clinical pharmacist; coinfection; direct acting-antivirals; multidisciplinary care team.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Parya Saberi has received a National Institute of Mental Health Grant (K23MH097649). Anne F Luetkemeyer has received research grant support to the University of California, San Francisco from AbbVie, Gilead, and Merck. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; [Accessed March 18, 2018]. [updated March 7, 2018, cited March 18, 2018]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/populations/hiv.htm.
    1. National Institute on Drug Abuse HIV infection accelerates hepatitis C-related liver fibrosis. [Accessed March 18, 2018]. Available from: https://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2014/01/hiv-infection-a....
    1. Kirk GD, Mehta SH, Astemborski J, et al. HIV, age, and the severity of hepatitis C virus-related liver disease: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2013;158(9):658–666. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bräu N. Update on chronic hepatitis C in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients: viral interactions and therapy. AIDS. 2003;17(16):2279–2290. - PubMed
    1. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Infectious Diseases Society of American, International Antiviral Society-USA HCV guidance: recommendations for testing, managing, and treating hepatitis C. [Accessed April 12, 2016]. Available from: http://www.hcvguidelines.org.

LinkOut - more resources