Hepatitis C News

Cepheid received the CE-IVD mark for the Xpert HCV VL Fingerstick, a molecular test designed to detect and quantify hepatitis C RNA levels from a fingerstick blood sample, according to a press release.

The Louisiana Department of Health is currently developing a “subscription style” payment plan with pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide state residents with access to hepatitis C treatment.

The number of hepatitis C-infected organs viable for transplantation has increased in recent years in correlation with the increasing opioid epidemic. While it is common practice to offer HCV-positive organs to patients already infected, especially liver disease patients, researchers have started looking into their use in uninfected patients. This option has become viable thanks to the high success rate of treatment with direct-acting antivirals.

In this guest commentary from the Liver Health Initiative, Thelma King Thiel, RN, BA, former CEO of both the American Liver Foundation and the Hepatitis Foundation International, gives insight into speaking with pediatric patients and parents about liver health. After losing her son to biliary atresia, Thiel focused on training health care providers about liver health. She recently founded the Liver Health Initiative to continue to fill the knowledge gap that exists about liver health.

Transplantation with hepatitis C nucleic acid test-positive kidneys in HCV-negative recipients followed by direct-acting antiviral therapy demonstrated improved patient outcomes and significant cost-savings, according to results of a recent modelling study.

Modelling results from a recent study showed that transplantation of hepatitis C-positive livers into uninfected patients with preemptive direct-acting antiviral therapy was a cost-effective strategy and could improve health outcomes, especially in those with higher MELD scores.

Results of a modeling study showed that in dense urban settings with high prevalence of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs, HCV treatment-as-prevention strategies will have little impact over 10 years unless coverage is greatly expanded.

Results of a recent mortality profile of New York City residents with hepatitis C and hepatitis B showed that patients with HCV were significantly more likely to have HIV coinfection, hepatocellular carcinoma, and lower survival rates compared with HBV.

Population-level hepatitis C reinfection rates after direct-acting antiviral therapy were elevated among people who inject drugs due to ongoing exposure risk, according to a recently published study.

Influences that affect liver transplantation outcomes comprise numerous hepatic and extrahepatic factors, including hepatitis C infection. Patients with HCV are at risk for progression to liver damage and cirrhosis, which can affect the rate of waitlist mortality. In recent years, the introduction of direct-acting antivirals and improved management of cirrhosis have led to better outcomes post-liver transplant.