Chapman Professor Reports New Treatment Options for Hepatitis C

Chapman University’s Dr. Jerika Lam, Assistant Professor and Clinical Faculty of the School of Pharmacy reports new hope for Hepatitis C patients.

The chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is transmitted when blood from an infected person enters the blood of anther person who is not infected.  HCV is a serious major public health problem estimated currently to infect more 170 million people worldwide and 4 million in the United States.

Dr. Jerika Lam states in the OC Register that in December 2013, the FDA had newly approved two direct-acting antivirals simeprevir and sofosbuvir, as well as a third co-fomulated tablet called ledipasvir/sofosbuvir which was approved in October. She explains in her article that:

All three of these direct-acting antivirals are more effective, have higher resistance barriers, better tolerability and safety profiles. The clinical trials data demonstrated that these direct-acting antivirals can achieve sustained virologic response, or cure rates, of 90 percent and greater.

This groundbreaking discovery has brought hope to HCV infected persons, allowing better treatment options with a greater success rate of cure with these newly approved direct-acting antivirals.

Jerika Lam Ph.D. received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy in 2003. She completed a PGY1 residency at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and a two-year fellowship at USC School of Pharmacy in HIV pharmacotherapy and translational research. She joined Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science as Assistant Professor in 2007. She is credentialed by the American Academy of HIV Medicine since 2008. In 2012, Dr. Lam ventured into management with Kaiser Permanente.

Dr. Lam had established her ambulatory care practice sites at the Desert AIDS Project Clinic, Riverside Neighborhood Health Center and Perris Family Care Center clinics. She received the Preceptor of the Year in Ambulatory Care from LLU School of Pharmacy (2009). She also received the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)/Walmart Scholars Award as mentor (2010), and was recognized as Fellow of California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (2011).On June 1, 2014, Dr. Lam resumed her passion for academia and joined Chapman University School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacy Practice as Assistant Professor.