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25 WORLD GASTROENTEROLOGY NEWS APRIL 2015 Editorial | Expert Point of View | Gastro 2015: AGW/WGO | WDHD News | WGO & WGOF News | WGO Global Guidelines | Calendar of Events New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting 2014 Michael Schultz, MD, PhD Secretary, New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology Associate Professor and Gastroenterologist Dunedin School of Medicine University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand The Annual Scientific Meeting of the New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology, co-hosted by AuSPEN (Australasian Society of Parenteral Nutrition) and the New Zealand Gastroenterological Nurses Section took place in Auckland from November 25-27, 2014. The program promised a high caliber meeting and the conference drew a record crowd. Three days of intense clinical and scientific discussions, framed by a number of social activities including dinners and fundraiser activities, did not disappoint. Professors Don Castell, USA, Stefan Zeuzem, Germany, and Nick Talley, Australia, all accepted the invitation and proved to be excellent speakers. Professor Castell took us through the history of gastroesophageal reflux and discussed the management of this high-incidence disorder in the 21st century. In a way this was a good introduction to the 2015 World Digestive Health Day on Heartburn: A Global Perspective. The question of the correct surveillance program for Barrett’s esophagus was raised as well and hotly discussed. Questions included how frequent surveillance gastroscopies are appropriate and is it advised to streamline the surveillance population and focus on high-risk patients? What is the future of the new treatment devices? Are they for the future or are they already accepted in daily clinical practice? Professor Zeuzem had the difficult task of guiding us through the immense advances that have taken place over the last few years in the management of chronic viral hepatitis. The fact that several New Zealand centers were involved in many of the landmark trials ensured a receptive audience. New Zealand has a high burden of Hepatitis C infections with an unknown number of cases still to be diagnosed. Hotly discussed was therefore the price of these new treatment modalities. As in other societies, it remains to be seen if New Zealand can really afford not to take up these new treatments. Already patients have opted to be placed on waiting lists for the new, safe, and highly effective treatments. On the background of the progressive nature of this infection leading to costly complications such as end-stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver transplantation, the price of treatment may seem negligible. Progress has also been made in the management of Hepatitis B. While a potential cure of the infection is still less likely, emphasis was placed on surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma. We witnessed a possibly controversial discussion between the different societies regarding the value of abdominal ultrasound and/or alphafetoprotein. These state-of-the-art presentations were more than aptly supplemented by presentations from national experts. In the light of the introduction of biosimilars for the treatment of rheumatological and gastrointestinal disorders, Professor Richard Gearry presented an overview of the science behind these new (old?) drugs. A whole session was dedicated to celiac disease with the first phase II trials


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