Hepatitis C News

HepVu — an interactive online resource designed to visualize data on the U.S. hepatitis C epidemic — announced the release of new interactive maps that provide state-level estimates of HCV infections, according to a press release and online presentation.

Researchers discovered a substantial proportion of patients with newly diagnosed cancer and concurrent hepatitis C or hepatitis B were unaware of their viral infection and many had no identifiable risk factors, according to a recently published study.

A decentralized, nurse-led model of hepatitis C care with direct-acting antivirals was significantly effective and led to high levels of sustained virologic response in a large cohort of inmates, according to a recently published study.

In a recent article, Alexander Breskin, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, and colleagues noted that direct-acting antiviral treatment has “dramatically changed the outlook” for patients with HIV and hepatitis C virus coinfection, among whom liver-related complications are a major cause of death.

Collaborative practice agreements between pharmacists and rural clinics that targeted American Indian/Alaska Native populations led to successful outcomes for patients with hepatitis C virus, according to findings recently published in the Journal of Primary Care and Community Health.

Researchers discovered diverse hepatitis C genotype 4 strains and new genotype 7 strains in sub-Saharan African countries with NS3 and NS5A polymorphisms associated with resistance to direct-acting antivirals in other genotypes, according to recently published data.

Mavyret was safe and efficacious for patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent liver or kidney transplantation, according to a recently published study.

The safety and efficacy of direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C have begun to move HCV from the forefront of chronic liver disease into the realm of potential elimination. Many researchers are now focusing on the next task: improved care and possible cure of other viral hepatitis infections.

In our very first issue of HCV Next, we covered the mere promise of new hepatitis C therapies and pledged to serve you, the prescribing physician, in the age after interferon. Today, after 5 years of doing just that, we feel that this era has come of age and our service to you comes to a close.

As we’ve talked about in many editorials over the last several years in HCV Next, the hepatitis C treatment revolution followed in the wake of the pioneering work done in HIV, especially with regard to drug discovery and development.