Pharmacist-led Hepatitis C Management (PHARM-C)

April 19, 2022 updated by: University Health Network, Toronto

Pharmacist-led Hepatitis C Diagnosis and Rapid Management - in Community

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) continues to disproportionately affect vulnerable and marginalized persons in Canada. During the interferon treatment era, certain circumstances precluded individuals from receiving treatment, most notably mental health concerns or active substance use. In addition to the tolerability and efficacy of all-oral direct acting antivirals (DAAs), novel diagnostic strategies have also increased engagement in the care cascade. Point-of care and/or dried blood spot antibody as well as RNA testing allow for diagnosis without the need for phlebotomy, a major barrier for those with a history of past or current injection drug use. Despite these advances in diagnostic streamlining and increased cure rates, engagement post-diagnosis continues to be a major gap. Although the exact mechanism of HCV acquisition may not be clear - people who inject drugs, persons who are street-involved or low-income, or persons who are difficult-to-reach for other reasons, often experience both structural and geographic challenges to obtaining care. Community pharmacists may be the first point of contact for higher risk populations and may avoid testing and/or treatment for fear of judgement or poor treatment in hospital/specialist settings. While studies have demonstrated the feasibility of treating people receiving opioid against therapy (OAT), it remains unclear whether Canadian pharmacists can safely and effectively screen, and/or confirm HCV, work-up patients for HCV treatment, and prescribe with minimal oversight. If this model proves successful, it may have global utility especially in areas of the world where pharmacists are the initial point of contact for healthcare issues. The aim of this study is to determine whether being tested and linked care and treatment will be more effective in a community pharmacy than a referral to a tertiary care hospital for management of HCV among people on stable OAT, or other populations who experience barriers to care but use community pharmacy services.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
108

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 1G7
        • Recruiting
        • Specialty Rx Solutions
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. HCV infection
  2. HCV RNA > 1,000 IU/mL
  3. Aged 18 to 80
  4. Willingness and capacity to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Presence of or history of decompensated cirrhosis. This will be defined as evidence of clinical decompensation (history of either ascites, variceal hemorrhage, or hepatic encephalopathy/confusion), and Child-Pugh-Turcotte and Model for Endstage Liver Disease (MELD) score will also be used to assess this using laboratory investigations and clinical findings.
  2. Platelets < 75,000/mm3, total albumin <35 g/L, total bilirubin (total and direct) >34.2 μmol/L, International Normalized Ratio (INR) >1.5
  3. History of current or past hepatocellular carcinoma
  4. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection as indicated by positive testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg +ve)or untreated HIV co-infection
  5. Prior HCV antiviral therapy with direct-acting antivirals with or without peginterferon/ribavirin
  6. Chronic liver disease other than mild non-alcoholic or alcoholic fatty liver disease from a cause other than HCV
  7. Significant co-morbid illness that precludes inclusion in the opinion of the investigator
  8. Life expectancy of less than 1 year. If clarity is required, the provider who delivered the diagnosis will be contacted.
  9. Pregnancy/breast-feeding/inability to use contraception
  10. Use of concomitant contraindicated drugs

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Community Pharmacist-Led
Patients in Arm 1 will receive care and treatment at their home pharmacy and be evaluated and treated by a community pharmacist under medical directives and with study oversight.
Behavioral: Pharmacist-Led care
Rapid testing in a community pharmacy, with rapid linkage to care and treatment that is pharmacist-led
Active Comparator: Academic hepatology
Patients in Arm 2 will be evaluated and treated by hepatologists at the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease.
Behavioral: Standard of Care (Hepatology)
Rapid testing in a community pharmacy, with standard of care referral to academic hepatology

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Intention to treat by Completion Rates
Time Frame: 24 months
Intention to treat direct acting antiviral (DAA) completion rates in non-cirrhotic or compensated cirrhotic patients treated with DAAs in pharmacist-led programs in community pharmacies, compared to treatment completion rates with referral and treatment in tertiary care hepatology (Toronto Centre for Liver Disease).
24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sustained Virologic Response by Intention-to-Treat
Time Frame: 24 months
Compare Sustained Virologic Response rates by Intention to treat in both sites.
24 months
Sustained Virologic Response by modified Intention-to-Treat
Time Frame: 24 months
Compare the rates of Sustained Virologic Response by modified Intention to treat (including all participants who take at least one dose of medication)
24 months
Sustained Virologic Response by Per Protocol analysis
Time Frame: 24 months
Compare the rates of Sustained Virologic Response by per protocol analysis including all individuals who complete treatment in both groups.
24 months
Hepatitis C Community seroprevalence in downtown Toronto
Time Frame: 18 months
Determine the seroprevalence of HCV among individuals tested in downtown Toronto.
18 months
Community Pharmacist Fibrosis Identification
Time Frame: 18 months
Comparison of pharmacist-assessed fibrosis stage vs fibrosis stage assessed by hepatologist (gold standard)
18 months
Community Pharmacist Decompensation Identification
Time Frame: 18 months
Comparison of pharmacist-assessed hepatic decompensation score vs hepatic decompensation assessed by hepatologist (gold standard)
18 months
Minimum Mean Time-to-Treatment
Time Frame: 18 months
Determine the minimum mean time-to-treatment initiation in both groups
18 months
Community Appointment Adherence
Time Frame: 24 months
Assess appointment adherence in both arms
24 months
Medication Adherence
Time Frame: 18 months
Assess self-reported medication adherence at both sites
18 months
Quality of Life and Substance Use
Time Frame: 24 months
Evaluate quality of life for patients with chronic liver disease (CLDQ-HCV) before and after treatment (endpoint and SV12) at both sites.
24 months
Substance Use
Time Frame: 24 months
Evaluate the Maudsley Addiction Profile (MAP) before and after treatment (endpoint and SV12) at both sites.
24 months
Patient Understanding and Satisfaction
Time Frame: 24 months
Compare patient understanding and satisfaction with HCV treatment with the Hepatitis Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (HPSQ)
24 months
Reinfection
Time Frame: 24 months
Assess rates of reinfection in patients who achieve Sustained Virologic Response, at 48 weeks.
24 months
Patient empowerment
Time Frame: 24 months
Compare measure of patient empowerment by treatment-arm using the Health Care Empowerment (HCE) survey
24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University Health Network, Toronto

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 13, 2022

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2023

Study Completion (Anticipated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 20, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 24, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 26, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 27, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 19, 2022

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20-5265

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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