The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), together with the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), has decided to organise an exciting “Special Conference” dedicated to a timely topic: Therapy of Hepatitis C: Clinical Application and Drug Development.

We hope you will find this meeting of interest; during the two days of the conference, leading international experts involved in Hepatitis C, will highlight and address a series of lectures, but will also participate in interactive debates on hot topics. Case presentations and parallel interactive sessions will take place and space will be reserved for poster presentations of original works in the field.

This 2012 Special Conference will provide an opportunity to keep pace with the latest developments in this field. The programme has equally been designed to provide adequate time for discussion and networking.

Aims of the conference

• Ensure that delegates are informed about all the latest clinical data from trials of direct antivirals for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection,
• Understand the limitations of current treatments and the potential benefits of new treatments,
• Provide enough data for delegates to inform patients about their current treatment options as well as treatment options which may emerge within the next few years,
• Provide and justify on scientific grounds instructions on treatment stopping rules based on futility assessments,
• Ensure that physicians are aware of the potential side effects of therapy,
• Analyse trial data which may inform decisions about selection of specific treatments,
• Make physicians aware of the limitations in clinical data on new drugs,
• Share expert opinion on the optimal treatment options for patients who have never been treated before and for patients who have previously had unsuccessful treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.