MedEd

The interplay of HIV and NTM-PD

sarah.stickland@the-corpus.com — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 13:59:22 +0000

The interplay of HIV and NTM-PD

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World AIDS Day is annually marked on December 1st. This global health awareness day was established in 1988 to support HIV-infected people and remember the estimated 40 million people who have died of AIDS-related illnesses since the beginning of the pandemic.^1-4 The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it increased concern about HIV and AIDS as health issues of global significance. The vulnerability of immunocompromised individuals, the psychosocial impacts of isolation, and reduced access to healthcare facilities in some countries created challenging circumstances for people living with HIV.⁵ The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the potential for respiratory tract infections to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised people.⁶ For people living with HIV, the increased likelihood of treatment interruption because of social isolation and reduced access to healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to immune system compromise and loss of virologic suppression.⁷

Aside from COVID-19, well-characterised respiratory infections that have high mortality rates in people living with HIV include fungal, viral, or parasitic pneumonias and bacterial bronchitis.^8,9 A lesser known sign of advanced HIV infection is disseminated disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM).¹⁰ Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are mycobacterial species other than those that cause tuberculosis (TB) or leprosy.^11,12 Disseminated NTM infections can affect the lungs, sinuses, lymph nodes, joints and muscles, and the central nervous system.¹¹ Non-tuberculous mycobacteria-associated pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is the most common clinical manifestation of NTM infection.¹³ Symptoms of NTM-PD include a persistent cough, fatigue, unintended weight loss, dyspnoea, haemoptysis, increased mucous production, and night sweats.^14,15

The non-specific symptoms of NTM-PD make diagnosis challenging and this may lead to delays in receiving treatment. Survival rates of HIV-infected patients with NTM-PD are higher when appropriate antimicrobial therapy is administered.10 NTM species are highly prevalent in environmental sources such as water and soil and can infect humans through inhalation of aerosolised droplets or inoculation due to mechanical trauma.^16,17

NTM-PD can lead to extensive pulmonary damage and respiratory failure.¹⁴ Species such as M. avium can cross bronchial mucosa and evade host immune responses, which may already be weak in a person living with HIV. The formation of biofilms contributes to the chronic character of NTM-PD, because this allows the bacteria to persist within the phagosome. Glycopeptidolipid molecules in the cell wall of NTM confer immunogenic properties by interacting with toll-like receptors (TLRs) that promote inflammatory responses.^13,18,19 Chronic inflammation in HIV is thought to be linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis, and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, anaemia, and physical frailty.²⁰

It is therefore important to diagnose and treat NTM-PD within HIV-positive populations who are vulnerable to severe pulmonary and systemic injury. An individual must satisfy specific clinical, radiographical, and microbiological criteria to be diagnosed with NTM-PD.¹⁵

HIV testing is recommended for all patients who are diagnosed with NTM-PD.²¹ This allows physicians with experience of treating NTM-PD to collaborate with HIV specialists and devise the optimal treatment strategy for the patient. The clinically burdensome nature of managing NTM-PD with pharmacotherapy is associated with the need for at least 12 months of treatment.^13,15 Complicated multidrug regimens and treatment-related adverse events are key challenges for healthcare professionals in this therapy area.¹³ With the incidence of NTM-PD infection increasing in places where tuberculosis (TB) is highly prevalent, it remains of paramount importance to investigate the interplay of NTM-PD and HIV, due to the the similarities between radiographic and clinical features of NTM-PD and TB.¹⁶ Misdiagnosis of TB (which is a leading cause of mortality in patients living with HIV)²² has led to NTM-PD patients being inappropriately treated with anti-TB therapeutics which increase the risk of antibiotic resistance.^12,23,24

World AIDS Day is an opportunity to evaluate society’s progress in addressing one of the most critical health crises of a generation. Caring for people living with HIV requires knowledge of opportunistic infections that may be caused by organisms such as NTM. Screening for NTM in people living with HIV will play a vital part in determining the most effective treatment strategy for each patient. Maintaining immune system function and achieving virologic suppression may be a more realistic prospect in the management of comorbid NTM-PD and HIV when appropriate information and training is made available to healthcare professionals who have a critical role in improving the standard of care for some of society’s most clinically vulnerable individuals.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a series of medical education meetings on rare lung diseases of clinical relevance, get in touch with our team today by emailing communications@the-corpus.com.

References:

United Nations. World AIDS Day. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-aids-day. Last accessed November 2022.
World Health Organization (WHO). World AIDS Day. Available from: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news-room/events/world-aids-day. Last accessed November 2022.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). World AIDS Day. Available from: https://www.unaids.org/en/World_AIDS_Day. Last accessed November 2022.
World Health Organization (WHO). HIV. Available from: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/hiv-aids. Last accessed November 2022.
Waterfield KC, Shah GH, Etheredge GD, Ikhile O. Consequences of COVID-19 crisis for persons with HIV: the impact of social determinants of health. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):299.
Bertagnolio S, Thwin SS, Silva R, et al. Clinical features of, and risk factors for, severe or fatal COVID-19 among people living with HIV admitted to hospital: analysis of data from the WHO Global Clinical Platform of COVID-19. Lancet HIV. 2022;9(7):e486-e495.
Kaswa R. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accessing HIV care: A case report. South African Fam Pract. 2021;63(1).
Huang L, Crothers K. HIV-associated opportunistic pneumonias. Respirology. 2009;14(4):474-485.
Li H. HIV/AIDS related respiratory diseases. In: Radiology of HIV/AIDS. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands; 2014:377-535.
Nei T, Okabe M, Mikami I, et al. A non-HIV case with disseminated Mycobacterium kansasii disease associated with strong neutralizing autoantibody to interferon-γ. Respir Med Case Reports. 2013;8:10-13.
Haworth CS, Banks J, Capstick T, et al. British Thoracic Society guidelines for the management of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). Thorax. 2017;72(Suppl 2): ii1-ii64.
DS Sarro Y, Kone B, Diarra B, et al. Simultaneous diagnosis of tuberculous and non-tuberculous mycobacterial diseases: Time for a better patient management. Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2018;3(3).
van Ingen J, Obradovic M, Hassan M, et al. Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease caused by Mycobacterium avium complex - disease burden, unmet needs, and advances in treatment developments. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2021;15(11):1387-1401.
Griffith DE, Aksamit T, Brown-Elliott BA, et al. An Official ATS/IDSA statement: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of nontuberculous mycobacterial diseases. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007;175(4):367-416.
Pathak K, Hart S, Lande L. Nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease (NTM-LD): Current recommendations on diagnosis, treatment, and patient management. Int J Gen Med. 2022;Volume 15:7619-7629.
Zulu M, Monde N, Nkhoma P, Malama S, Munyeme M. Nontuberculous mycobacteria in humans, animals, and water in Zambia: A systematic review. Front Trop Dis. 2021;2.
Ahmed I, Tiberi S, Farooqi J, et al. Non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections—A neglected and emerging problem. Int J Infect Dis. 2020;92:S46-S50.
Busatto C, Vianna JS, da Silva LV, Ramis IB, da Silva PEA. Mycobacterium avium: an overview. Tuberculosis. 2019;114:127-134.
Shu C-C, Wu M-F, Pan S-W, Wu T-S, Lai H-C, Lin M-C. Host immune response against environmental nontuberculous mycobacteria and the risk populations of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease. J Formos Med Assoc. 2020;119:S13-S22.
Barabona G, Mahiti M, Toyoda M, et al. Advanced baseline immunosuppression is associated with elevated levels of plasma markers of fungal translocation and inflammation in long-term treated HIV-infected Tanzanians. AIDS Res Ther. 2021;18(1):55.
Lipman M, Cleverley J, Fardon T, et al. Current and future management of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) in the UK. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2020;7(1):e000591.
World Health Organization (WHO). Global HIV Programme: Tuberculosis & HIV. Available from: https://www.who.int/teams/global-hiv-hepatitis-and-stis-programmes/hiv/treatment/tuberculosis-hiv. Last accessed November 2022.
Sulis G, Daniels B, Kwan A, et al. Antibiotic overuse in the primary health care setting: a secondary data analysis of standardised patient studies from India, China and Kenya. BMJ Glob Heal. 2020;5(9):e003393.
Wu M-L, Aziz DB, Dartois V, Dick T. NTM drug discovery: status, gaps and the way forward. Drug Discov Today. 2018;23(8):1502-1519.

sarah.sticklan… Thu, 01/12/2022 - 13:59

Intro paragraph

To mark World Aid’s Day (1 December 2022), medical writer Maddy Crabbe discusses the challenges faced by HIV patients, particularly the risks associated with respiratory infections like non-tuberculous myobacteria-associated pulmonary disease.

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Magdalene Crabbe
Medical Writer

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It’s time to eradicate cervical cancer

Alana — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 14:17:39 +0000

It’s time to eradicate cervical cancer

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Analyzing breakthroughs in cervical cancer to help address the unmet need

In May 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a global initiative to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem,¹ where all countries must reach and maintain an incidence rate of below four per 100,000 women. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common female cancer worldwide and one of the top three cancers to affect women younger than 45,¹ with an estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths in 2020.²

Current treatment options and disease management

Despite the success of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, existing therapeutic options have low cure rates often with many side effects. Early-stage and locally invasive cervical cancer can be treated with radical hysterectomy or radical trachelectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy and concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy.³

A multidisciplinary team can help improve the prevention, screening, treatment and management of cervical cancer. Therefore, it is important for healthcare professionals to identify suspicious and/or precancerous lesions through simple cervical cancer screening, colposcopies and electrosurgical excision procedures for a correct diagnosis and management.⁴ 

Currently, chemotherapy remains the basis of treatment; however, it is rarely curative.⁵Usually, the foundation of systemic therapy consists of cisplatin, either as a single agent or in combination with other agents. First-line cisplatin-based chemotherapy has unacceptable outcomes with response rates of 13% and 36% for cisplatin alone and cisplatin in combination with other agents, respectively.⁵ Recently, double- and triple-agent chemotherapy regimens have progressively been used for patients with recurrent or metastatic disease.  

The availability of targeted therapies and immunotherapy regimens (bevacizumab, pembrolizumab) in combination with, or as alternatives to, existing first- and second-line treatment options has led to improved outcomes in patients with recurrent or metastatic disease.⁶ Bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy, compared to chemotherapy alone, extended overall survival advantage in 4 months and had a 12% higher response rate.

Addressing the unmet need

Unfortunately, for a large proportion of patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer who require treatment beyond first-line therapy, there is no established second-line standard of care, which creates an important unmet need.⁷

Pembrolizumab was approved in 2018 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients whose tumors express programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), after a modest objective response of 14.3%.⁶ 

LN-145, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL), was granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA in 2019 to treat advanced cervical cancer,⁸ after an objective tumor response of 28%. Two of the responses in cervical cancer were complete and ongoing 67 and 53 months after treatment.⁹

Tisotumab vedotin-tftv is the first antibody-drug conjugate for patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy and was granted accelerated approval by the FDA in September 2021.¹⁰ Patients on tisotumab had a 24% response rate (95% CI: 15.9%, 33.3%) and a longer duration of response (8.3 months; 95% CI: 4.2, not reached) than other second-line therapies, which adds a further option to the existing second-line armamentarium.

Emerging therapies

With new treatments being approved and more in clinical trial stages, it is critical for healthcare professionals to comprehensively understand available and emerging cervical cancer treatments to optimize patient outcomes. As virtually all cases of cervical cancer can be attributed to HPV infection, there’s a need to better understand the molecular biology and tumor-host immune system interaction. Metastatic cervical cancer is not curable, and the hope is that these patients can live for as long as possible.

As part of the WHO initiative to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem, it is critical for healthcare professionals to be continually educated on advances in the field, to keep abreast of the latest data and help inform the most effective treatment pathways in helping eradicate cervical cancer. 

If you would be interested in sponsoring a series of medical education meetings in this therapy arena, contact the Corpus team today for a consultation at communications@the-corpus.com

REFERENCES

Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative. Available at: https://www.who.int/initiatives/cervical-cancer-elimination-initiative [Accessed 2022 June 28]. 
Cervical cancer. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer [Accessed 2022 September 12].
Ferrall L, et al. Cervical Cancer Immunotherapy: Facts and Hopes. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Sep 15;27(18):4953-4973.
Fowler JR,  et al. Cervical Cancer. [Updated 2022 Apr 5]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan. Ferrall L, et al. Cervical Cancer Immunotherapy: Facts and Hopes. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Sep 15;27(18):4953-4973.  
Mauricio D, et al. Immunotherapy in Cervical Cancer. Curr Oncol Rep. 2021 Apr 14;23(6):61.  
Abu-Rustum NR, et al. NCCN Guidelines Insights: Cervical Cancer, Version 1.2020. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2020 Jun;18(6):660-666. 
FDA grants breakthrough therapy designation of new TIL therapy for advanced cervical cancer. Available at: https://ccr.cancer.gov/news/article/fda-grants-breakthrough-therapy-designation-of-new-til-therapy-for-advanced-cervical-cancer [Accessed 2022 September 12].
Coleman RL, et al; innovaTV 204/GOG-3023/ENGOT-cx6 Collaborators. Efficacy and safety of tisotumab vedotin in previously treated recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer (innovaTV 204/GOG-3023/ENGOT-cx6): a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study. Lancet Oncol. 2021 May;22(5):609-619.  
Stevanović S, et al. A Phase II Study of Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy for Human Papillomavirus-associated Epithelial Cancers. Clin Cancer Res. 2019;25(5):1486-1493. 
FDA grants accelerated approval to tisotumab vedotin-tftv for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-tisotumab-vedotin-tftv-recurrent-or-metastatic-cervical-cancer [Accessed 2022 June 28].

Alana Thu, 15/09/2022 - 14:17

Intro paragraph

In May 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a global initiative to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem,¹ where all countries must reach and maintain an incidence rate of below four per 100,000 women. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common female cancer worldwide and one of the top three cancers to affect women younger than 45,¹ with an estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths in 2020.²

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Medical Copywriting Team

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Expansion, carbon-neutrality and augmented reality: just a few things we’ve addressed in 2021

Jan Ash — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 09:06:14 +0000

Expansion, carbon-neutrality and augmented reality: just a few things we’ve addressed in 2021

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This time last year we were reflecting on the light at the end of the tunnel, with a vaccine being rolled out that would help fight COVID-19. The global situation has certainly improved since then but, unfortunately, we aren’t quite out the other side just yet. 2021 repeatedly threw challenges our way and businesses were forced to continue to adapt and evolve in order to survive. As an online education provider we were in a very fortunate position, and we’ve successfully run hundreds of online meetings over the past 12 months. However, we have also taken the opportunity to reflect on our programmes and build larger, more robust online education that has a real impact (view our previous blog to find out more about impact measurement).

We are developing online communities for specialists to share their thoughts and define future learning materials, running meetings incorporating the latest augmented reality technology, creating post-meeting takeaway reports, producing vLogs, and so much more.

All our programmes aim to achieve one thing: to bring about real change and improve patient outcomes globally. Integral to this is physician engagement, so we aim to take our programmes beyond the norm and offer high-energy, engaging and truly interactive medical education. Now we’re very proud to say that we do all this as a carbon neutral company! This, in turn, benefits our clients too: each virtual meeting we run prevents, on average, 2.11 tonnes of CO2e from entering the atmosphere, helping the companies we work with hit their emissions and sustainability targets more easily than ever. To put that into context, each meeting we run online saves as much CO2e as a passenger's return economy flight from London to New Delhi!

This year The Corpus has also recruited two new members for our Account Management team: Yasin and Amanda! They are responsible for the day-to-day running of our medical education programmes, working closely with clients to ensure the participants receive an outstanding experience. We asked them both how they are settling into their new roles and what they have learned so far:

“Having joined The Corpus just a few months ago, I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to join the team in our offices and meet everybody face to face in my first week. It’s fantastic being able to work so closely with global thought leaders and world- leading pharma companies to deliver complex Med Ed programmes to healthcare professionals. It's also particularly exciting that the company is committed to addressing equality, diversity and inclusion, and always puts its people at the forefront of the plan to take us forward as a business. I look forward to an exciting 2022 with the team!”

- Yasin Amar, Account Manager

“It has been about two months since I joined The Corpus team, and it has flown by! I take this as a sign of entering a role where I have been able to hit the ground running and get involved in a diverse range of projects and work that keeps me on my toes. Thankfully, I’ve also had an incredible and welcoming team to support me and answer my many, many questions along the way. It has been an exciting time to join The Corpus, as someone who personally is a large advocate for environmental sustainability, I am proud to be a part of a company that has become fully carbon neutral and is leading the way in sustainable medical education. My journey with The Corpus has really only just begun, and I cannot wait to see where it takes me.”

- Amanda Scully, Account Executive

The entire Corpus team wishes you a fantastic holiday season and a happy new year. We’re looking forward to seeing what 2022 holds and are excited by the prospect of running bigger and better programmes than ever before, with more enduring materials and microsites around which whole communities of doctors can come together and learn in a collaborative environment!

Take care of yourselves, and each other, and we'll see you in 2022.

Jan Ash Wed, 22/12/2021 - 09:06

Intro paragraph

Like everyone else, here at The Corpus we've had a strange 2021 – but have still fit a lot in! We take a look back at what we’ve achieved this past year and look forward to what 2022 might bring.

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And the award goes to... The Corpus!

Jan Ash — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 10:33:25 +0000

And the award goes to... The Corpus!

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The Corpus are delighted to again be recognised for our dedicated online medical education services. The judges at the Global Health & Pharma magazine have awarded The Corpus with an award for the Most Innovative Medical Virtual Meeting Platform in 2021.

With the global pandemic hitting us all in 2020, it’s been a case of sink or swim for many companies who’ve had to adapt to moving their medical education online.With our wealth of experience,The Corpus remains the leading authority for virtual medical education meetings.

We continue to evolve and update our platform to accommodate a variety of educational meeting requirements. Recently we have added in options to run instant polls, with results displayed in real-time, managing participant breakout rooms, screen sharing, prompting engaging and highly interactive conversations, and more.

If you would like to see how The Corpus’ innovative solutions can help you deliver your educational objectives online, get in touch with our team today via: communications@the-corpus.com, or call us on +44 (0)20 7428 2903.

Jan Ash Mon, 08/11/2021 - 10:33

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At a time when many companies have moved activities online, The Corpus still leads the way in innovation and scoops the 2021 award for our medical education platform!

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Sarah Stickland, Director

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Bridging knowledge gaps through collaborative learning: Corpus Communities

Jan Ash — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 07:32:56 +0000

Bridging knowledge gaps through collaborative learning: Corpus Communities

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The Corpus recently ran a poll where we asked the LinkedIn community about their experiences with online networking during the pandemic. The result was unequivocal: 90% said their experience of networking virtually left something (or, in some cases, much) to be desired when compared to pre-pandemic, in-person networking meetings.

The need for better online networking solutions is clear. Even with much of the world now re-opening and with the number of face-to-face interactions on the rise again, there are still many who will never return to in-person work full-time. Whether because of the convenience of working from home, anxiety over health, concerns around being more environmentally friendly and carbon-conscious, or other reasons, the lack of opportunity to network effectively with peers beyond face-to-face settings needs to be addressed.

This is something which The Corpus has actively kept in mind when developing our latest offering: Corpus Communities.

Combining the well-known benefits of collaborative learning, Corpus Communities is an initiative designed to bring frontline physicians around the world together in one place, facilitating knowledge exchange and creation by means of meaningful interactions and shared experiences, as well as providing a space to network with peers.

We are creating these learning spaces in the form of dedicated microsites, which will host enduring materials aimed at specific physician specialties. In addition to regular Corpus meetings where groups of 20-25 healthcare professionals (HCPs) listen to a presentation from a renowned international key opinion leader (KOL) and discuss the topic afterwards during a Q&A period, The Corpus is also incorporating other interactive elements into each Community, such as:

•   Larger-scale webcasts and panel discussions, featuring a mix of local and international KOLs
•   Intimate small-group workshops
•   Bitesize videos available on-demand
•   Speaker podcasts
•   Interactive case studies
•   Key takeaway reports following each meeting

In addition to the varied media formats, our live meetings will begin and end with an open lobby for participants. This will give physicians an opportunity to start conversations with their peers from anywhere in the world, in a free and open forum. Following the meeting, colleagues can remain in the virtual meeting room to discuss key takeaways from the global experts and share individual insights. Dedicated spaces on this community microsite will also allow physicians to comment on videos, ask questions and have their questions answered by the KOL speakers.

It is through this collaborative learning model, by creating a varied and engaging online medical education programme, that HCPs are able to effectively learn from each other and develop their own skillsets. By creating knowledge within a population where members actively interact with each other and share their first-hand experiences, we can help facilitate improvements in the standard of patient care, globally.

To find out more about Corpus Communities and how you can get involved as a meeting/Community sponsor, contact us via communications@the-corpus.com or call +44(0) 207 428 2903.

Jan Ash Thu, 14/10/2021 - 07:32

Intro paragraph

A recent survey found that 90% of people are still struggling to find workable online networking solutions. The Corpus is hoping to break down virtual barriers, by introducing new forms of collaborative learning into the digital age.

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Jan Ash - Corpus Content Team

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CO2 emissions: how much could you save by running your med ed online?

Jan Ash — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 09:16:21 +0000

CO2 emissions: how much could you save by running your med ed online?

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Unbelievably, it was over 30 years ago that Dr. James Hansen, then director of NASA’s Institute for Space Studies, first said to a Committee: “In my opinion, the greenhouse effect has been detected, and it is changing our climate now.”

Unfortunately, the problem continues and our actions are still causing evident long-term changes in weather patterns, resulting in widespread devastation around the world: wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, drought. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) in 2014 stated that the increase in greenhouse gases over the past 100 years has primarily been a result of human activities. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen 25% since 1958 (source: NOAA), however, there is still hope: The IPPC believe that if we can restrict any increase in atmospheric temperatures to less than 1.5°C, we have a chance to protect our planet from irreversible changes, and we can do that by reducing our carbon emissions.

A carbon neutral company

As propagators of online meetings, we naturally have a low carbon footprint (a measure of how much greenhouse gases our company is responsible for emitting into the atmosphere). In 2019, pre-pandemic, our carbon footprint was just 6.2 tonnes of CO2e – to put that into context, that is the equivalent of running 1.3 small passenger cars for a year. This was calculated by Orbis Advisory Ltd in line with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) protocol. We offset our carbon emissions through a programme that protected rainforests in Brazil and planted trees in the United Kingdom, to become fully carbon neutral.

Carbon offsetting is one way to help tackle climate change; by investing in initiatives that actively remove the harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere we can combat a big part of the problem. This is not the only action we need to be taking though. As organisations, we need to be actively trying to reduce our emissions in the first place as well as offsetting those emissions we do produce.

Helping you reduce your emissions

In traditional medical education, expert speakers fly all round the world to connect with different groups of doctors, sharing their experiences and updating frontline healthcare professionals in the latest medical advances. The Corpus works with some of the largest pharmaceutical companies around the world to develop engaging online medical education programmes, reducing this environmental impact (largely from flight emissions) for our clients. We connect speakers based in Australia with hospitals in Brazil and experts from Germany can talk to doctors in Japan – all without having to leave their city or town. Our virtual meetings, on average, prevent 2.11 tonnes of CO2e from entering the atmosphere – just three meetings with us would save as much in CO2e as we emit in a year.

In 2019 alone, we helped reduce one clients’ emissions by over 183 tonnes.

We're committed to change

The Corpus, as part of the AS&K Group, is committed to tackling climate change and reducing our emissions. As a group we have set ambitious goals using the Science Based Target initiative’s (SBTi) framework.

And we’re not just committed to reducing our own carbon footprint; we want to help you reduce yours too. Contact us to find out how our medical education programmes can be built into your long-term climate commitments.

Jan Ash Wed, 22/09/2021 - 09:16

Intro paragraph

Each meeting run online, rather than in-person, stops more than 2 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere. Find out how we are helping our clients reduce their carbon footprint by developing virtual global medical education programmes.

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Sarah Stickland - Director

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Pre-recorded presentations: the way forward for satellite symposia?

Jan Ash — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:45:25 +0000

Pre-recorded presentations: the way forward for satellite symposia?

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Satellite symposia are an integral part of modern medical conferences, providing healthcare professionals with vital opportunities to take part in small group discussions specifically designed to meet their continuing medical education needs. They are a chance for physicians to meet and hear from other professionals in their therapy area including, if they are lucky, a renowned national or international KOL in the field.

Having planned and delivered a number of successful satellite symposia over the last few years, one of the questions Corpus is asked most often by our clients is whether they should run the event live, pre-recorded, or simu-live (a mix of pre-recorded and live elements).

In addition to the benefits of in-person meetings, online satellite symposia also increase accessibility, giving delegates that are unable to attend the conference in person an opportunity still to take part and obtain key new information pertaining to their practice.

Why consider pre-recorded presentations?

Many people simply prefer the idea of a presentation being delivered live – but is there any real benefit?

The answer most often lies in what your goals are as the meeting organiser. Are you looking for an interactive meeting, with back-and-forth conversation between participants and speakers? Live meetings invariably lend themselves to two-way, interactive sessions, while if your goal is to have global experts share knowledge via a more didactic presentation, then pre-recording may be the simplest way to go.

One big benefit of pre-recorded presentations is the flexibility they allow. Allocating a 60 to 90-minute recording slot for a 30-minute presentation allows for multiple takes and a polished end product. Tweaks can also be made to things like the speaker’s background, audio, video and lighting setup, before the recording begins.

How to get the most out of your recording

There are several options to consider when thinking about pre-recording. PowerPoint has its own recording function and at first glance seems to be an easy option, but it requires the speaker to be technologically savvy and there are limited editing options available in post-production. If a highly customised, branded video is the end goal, other options may be better.

Recording in person, in a studio, undoubtedly provides the highest quality output. Being able to record in 4K in a dedicated recording studio is the only real solution if ultra-high video quality is necessary. However, this option comes at much higher cost, both financially and in relation to the speaker’s time, than recording remotely.

A dedicated online meeting provider such as The Corpus can bridge the gap between basic, inflexible recordings on PowerPoint and highly-polished, incredibly expensive studio recordings. The Corpus enables speakers to record their presentation from the comfort of their home or office. Speakers and organisers are provided with full guidance on how to get the most out of their recording, with The Corpus offering both technical and production support. Additionally, our highly customisable online meeting platform is designed to show high fidelity slide content and speaker video.

Any dedicated provider worth their salt will allow you to pass on the full responsibility of planning and executing the recording. This is certainly the case at The Corpus; additionally, we will also liaise with the congress organisers on your behalf, confirming file format, timelines, organise timings on the day of the meeting and more.

The Corpus are experienced providers of pre-recorded speaker presentations for use at satellite symposia. We have been leveraging our knowledge to help our partners produce outstanding content during the pandemic and will continue doing so into the future. For more information about our capabilities, get in touch with our team on +44 (0)207 428 2903, visit our website, or email: communications@the-corpus.com for more information.

Jan Ash Thu, 19/08/2021 - 10:45

Intro paragraph

As the world adapts to a hybrid lifestyle, how can you make the most of the technology on offer to complement your satellite symposia? These are our top tips for incorporating pre-recorded elements into your meeting.

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Jan Ash - Corpus Content Team

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Tomorrow’s healthcare systems and the preventative care model

Jan Ash — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 08:42:28 +0000

Tomorrow’s healthcare systems and the preventative care model

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Many public healthcare systems are based around a ‘sick care’ model where people seek and receive treatment when they fall ill. With many countries grappling a growing and ageing population (1), there is an increasing overall burden on healthcare systems per capita. One way of managing the growing demands on healthcare systems is a refocusing of resources and treatment towards a ‘preventative care’ model. In such a model, people are treated earlier, before they become ill, and they are assisted in maintaining healthy, active lifestyles. This would mean that the overall burden of diseases and health complications were minimized or avoided entirely.

For the purposes of this brief exploration, I will use public health care systems as the system of focus, given that they are widely argued to be the most equitable and cost-effective systems of population-wide healthcare provision within national boundaries (2). Questions of health equity between countries and regions will not be addressed, though these points are critical to issues of international equity in health and beyond.

To implement any fundamental restructuring in public services, there of course needs to be ample supporting evidence and socio-political support. The cost-benefits analysis of restructuring towards a ‘preventative’ model are difficult to quantify, as evidence in the form of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is not feasible for methodological reasons (3). It is for this reason that there is hesitancy in adopting such a transition. However, a recent review of over 200 public health interventions (4) concluded that the ‘vast majority’ of public health interventions are highly cost-effective. For example, In the NHS Five Year Forward View (5), it’s strongly put that “if the nation fails to get serious about prevention, then recent progress in healthy life expectancies will stall, health inequalities will widen, and our ability to fund beneficial new treatments will be crowded-out by the need to spend billions of pounds on wholly avoidable illness”.

The provision of healthcare towards preventative measures is a viable, and indeed urgent, means for decreasing costs to taxpayers, and improving health outcomes. Further, this approach would be mutually beneficial to all stakeholders. For instance, private-public partnerships may provide a sustainable avenue for the improvement of healthcare services and social welfare outcomes — a win-win scenario of sorts, whereby both the private sector and the public benefit from the effective mobilization of resources. Of course, private-public partnerships are not without their complications (6) but from the perspective of public policymaking, so long as there is no conflict between private interests and the health provision activity, there is an opportunity for success (7).

In summary, we need to urgently pivot towards a ‘preventative’ care model, whereby people receive treatment earlier, and are kept in a healthier default state. This transition will be economically sensible — to ensure that the services delivered at cost to the taxpayer are of a high standard, as well as being ethically just, more effective and earlier health intervention will ensure that the disease progression is kept at minimum, thereby improving aggregate quality of life through treatment. Perhaps most importantly, if we are to invest in such a change now, the results may not be borne out for 30 years, but they will be instrumental in maintaining our healthcare provision as the burden on such systems increases.

Citations

1 — Lutz, W., Sanderson, W. and Scherbov, S., 2008. The coming acceleration of global population ageing. Nature, 451(7179), pp.716-719.

2 — Marriott, A., 2009. Blind Optimism: Challenging the myths about private health care in poor countries. Oxfam.

3 — Schwappach, D.L., Boluarte, T.A. and Suhrcke, M., 2007. The economics of primary prevention of cardiovascular disease–a systematic review of economic evaluations. Cost effectiveness and resource allocation, 5(1), pp.1-12.

4 — Owen, L., Pennington, B., Fischer, A. and Jeong, K., 2018. The cost-effectiveness of public health interventions examined by NICE from 2011 to 2016. Journal of Public Health, 40(3), pp.557-566.

5 — NHS England, Public Health England, Health Education England, Monitor, Care Quality Commission, NHS Trust Development Authority Five Year Forward View, http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/5yfv-web.pdf [Accessed 08 July 2021]

6 — Barlow, J., Roehrich, J. and Wright, S., 2013. Europe sees mixed results from public-private partnerships for building and managing health care facilities and services. Health Affairs, 32(1), pp.146-154.

7 — Parker, L.A., Zaragoza, G.A. and Hernández-Aguado, I., 2019. Promoting population health with public-private partnerships: Where’s the evidence?. BMC public health, 19(1), pp.1-8.

Jan Ash Mon, 19/07/2021 - 08:42

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Could a switch to a preventative care model result in a more cost-effective and efficient healthcare system? We explore whether a switch could ultimately lead to a decrease in the volume of sick care required and provide mutual benefits for all stakeholders.

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AI-assisted endoscopy: A genial tool against colorectal cancer

Jan Ash — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 10:24:32 +0000

AI-assisted endoscopy: A genial tool against colorectal cancer

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The use of AI to aid diagnosis has been heralded increasingly often as an imminent evolution in the world of gastroenterology (1, 2). Thanks to an Italian study, in April the FDA has approved for the first time a tool for colonoscopy that helps doctors detect suspicious lesions in real time whilst performing the examination (3, 4).

Colonoscopy is considered the best tool for the prevention and diagnostic confirmation of colorectal cancer, as it allows us to identify colon polyps or other small changes in the intestinal mucosa that could develop into a tumour. Some polyps, however, 'escape' the diagnosis or cannot be correctly classified by colonoscopy alone (5).

This is where the recently approved artificial intelligence endoscopic device, called GI Genius, can help. By generating markers, accompanied by low-volume sounds and superimposing them on the video from the endoscope camera upon detection of a potential lesion, it suggests to the operator and specialists that further assessment may be required, such as a more thorough visual evaluation, tissue sampling and testing, removal, or ablation (4).

Following approval by the EMA in 2020, which attributed the CE mark necessary for commercialisation in Europe (6), the FDA evaluated the safety and efficacy of the device based on an all-Italian multicentre study on 685 individuals, which showed that the use of artificial intelligence applied to traditional colonoscopy was able to identify laboratory-confirmed adenomas or carcinomas with 14% increased diagnostic accuracy (i.e. absolute increase in adenoma detection rate) (4). This novel tool does not, however, replace the specialist or laboratory tests, and does not suggest how to manage suspected polyps. It remains up to the doctor to decide whether the lesion is suspicious, and how to proceed according to standard clinical practice and guidelines.

For this reason, educating and training specialists should remain a high priority in order to optimise identification and management of pre-cancerous lesions, thereby successfully preventing or delaying the development of colorectal cancer.

At the Corpus, we are looking forward to learning about more exciting advances in the field of endoscopy applied to gastroenterology at the upcoming UEG week virtual meeting, where this subject features in several prominent sessions. If you want to know more about how we have already approached the topic of diagnostics in gastroenterology, particularly in relation to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, visit our website: https://www.the-corpus.com/.

References
1.   Attardo S et al. World J Gastroenterol 2020;26:5606-5616
2.   Mascarenhas M et al. Ann Gastroenterol 2021;34:1-10
3.   FDA News Release. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-marketing-first-device-uses-artificial-intelligence-help-detect-potential-signs-colon (Accessed June 2021)
4.   Repici A et al. Gastroenterology 2020;159(2):512-520
5.   Stauffer CM & Pfeifer C. StatPearls 2021 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559274/ (Accessed June 2021)
6.   Cosmo Pharmaceuticals. Press Release. https://www.cosmopharma.com/news-and-media/press-releases-and-company-news/2020/200220 (Accessed June 2021)

Jan Ash Thu, 24/06/2021 - 10:24

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The use of AI to aid diagnosis has increasingly been heralded as an imminent evolution in the world of gastroenterology. As the FDA approves the first AI endoscopic device, what will it mean for physicians?

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Chiara Triulzi, Corpus Content Team

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Democratising access to educational materials

Jan Ash — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 08:08:40 +0000

Democratising access to educational materials

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Attending medical conferences is a great way for healthcare professionals to learn about the latest advances in therapies and treatments for diseases in their chosen area. Not only can Specialists listen to lectures delivered by world-renowned Key Opinion Leaders, with whom they may not normally come into contact, but they can speak directly to exhibitors, listen to abstracts, read posters, attend workshops… the benefits go on. However, attendance at these events comes at a price, both literally and figuratively.

Full pass delegate tickets for large-scale, international medical conferences can cost a physician anywhere between €100-600. Pricing is far from uniform across conferences, even between events of similar size and scope. Being a registered member of a society, such as one for Specialists in a particular disease area, can bring many benefits, including a reduction in the price of relevant congress tickets, although the cost of society membership needs to be factored in here as well.

There is also the time penalty incurred for attending conferences. Physicians are incredibly busy due to the nature of their work and are often time-poor, while most specialist disease conferences last at least 2 days, with some spanning almost an entire week. Many take place during the working week, too, leaving the physician with the dilemma of whether to take time off work in order to attend.

In addition to time out, there is the issue of yet further cost. International or regional conferences often change location yearly and whilst certainly an excellent way to attract potential delegates looking to tour Europe’s great cities, for example, this also adds the cost of flights, a hotel, local travel, food and drink on top. What originally looked like a €200 trip to attend the yearly conference can quickly balloon into an event costing 3 or 4 times as much, if not more.

Virtual conferences

Virtual congresses have completely eliminated nearly all of the aforementioned costs except that of the congress ticket itself, enabling Specialists to listen to talks from the comfort of home – especially useful during 2020 and 2021. However, two problems still exist with virtual conferences: screen time and flexibility.

Having been working from home for 15 months now (as of June 2021), the world’s tolerance for being sat in front of a laptop on calls or listening to presentations is starting to wear somewhat thin. ‘Zoom fatigue’ is a very real phenomenon, affecting physicians as much as any office worker. Asking a healthcare professional to listen to presentations on their laptop for 2+ days is less than appealing; even more so without the benefits of being able to pop out of the conference hall between talks to grab a coffee and network with peers.

One benefit of a virtual conference is that even though presentations are only delivered once, they are often uploaded to a media site where physicians can watch back later if they missed the event. However, contrasted with this perceived benefit comes the lack of ability for physicians to ask questions they might have. There may be the option to leave written questions under the video, but what is the guarantee of an answer from the speaker?

‘Reflections on…’

In response to the various issues which affect both live and virtual congresses, The Corpus has created our ‘Reflections on…’ series of educational initiatives. We will be running a series of meetings after each major conference of the year, across therapy areas, which will be completely free to attend for physicians. For example: ‘Reflections on ESC’, running from September 2021 onwards.

These live, 60-minute meetings are designed for healthcare professionals who are unable to attend a particular congress, for whatever reason. HCPs simply sign up to one or more of our ‘Reflections on…’ meetings, where they will hear a short presentation from an internationally renowned Key Opinion Leader, summarising the key findings and data releases from each day of the conference in a digestible format, before being given the opportunity to ask questions at the end, directly to the KOL.

Easily repeatable, these series’ of meetings could be run multiple times over in order to reach any size audience, anywhere in the world. The short duration of 60-minutes has been designed to retain the audience’s attention and not demand too much time out of the diary for physicians who are extremely busy.

The demand that we have seen from physicians for this type of activity is huge. If you are interested in exploring the idea of sponsoring a series of ‘Reflections on…’ meetings and discussing the benefits, both to you as sponsor and to an audience of Specialists, get in touch with us at communications@the-corpus.com or call us on +44(0)20 7428 2903.

Jan Ash Tue, 01/06/2021 - 08:08

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‘Reflections on…’ is the latest virtual education initiative from The Corpus, delivering the latest therapy area updates from international congresses directly to healthcare professionals worldwide. How do our online initiatives compare to in-person meetings?

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Jan Ash - Business Development Manager

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