Hepatitis C News

BOSTON — Every year, approximately 100,000 people are on waitlists for organ transplants, but only a small fraction find suitable donors, according to Emily Blumberg, MD, FIDSA, director of transplant infectious diseases at Penn Medicine.

Alcohol use at initiation of direct-acting antiviral treatment was not associated with reduced odds for achieving sustained virologic response among veterans with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, according to data in JAMA Network Open.

From the impact of Humira biosimilars flooding the U.S. market to shifting trends in colorectal cancer demographics, Healio has asked experts the big questions to stay abreast of the current hot topics in gastroenterology and hepatology.

A nationally representative survey revealed that of the more than 2 million people with current hepatitis C virus infection, only 68% are aware of their infection.

On Friday, clinicians and researchers across the world recognized World Hepatitis Day as an opportunity to honor the “more than a million lives lost to hepatitis” every year and redouble national efforts to stop its spread.

In new guidance, the CDC recommended that the two-step testing process for hepatitis C virus be completed in one visit, eliminating the need for multiple visits, which often leads to incomplete testing.

The risk for hepatic decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma remained constant after hepatitis C virus cure among patients with advanced chronic liver disease, underscoring the need for post-HCV risk stratification in the long term.

Failure to achieve sustained virological response and the presence of more advanced chronic liver disease were associated with mortality in patients with hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a researcher at EASL Congress.

An analysis of data from 2013 to 2022 showed that only 34% of people diagnosed with hepatitis C in the United States were cured or cleared of the virus, with many still lacking access to highly effective treatments.

Healio will present its sixth annual Disruptive Innovators Awards for gastroenterology and hepatology this fall.