Hepatitis C News

Researchers from the University of Cairo analyzed the rates of sustained virologic response among patients with hepatitis C in Egypt since the introduction of direct-acting antivirals to share data on the planning and prioritization of treatment in a nation with limited resources and high prevalence of HCV.

Direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C did not correlate with an increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma in a large cohort study of both treated and untreated patients with or without cirrhosis. Those with incident HCC after DAA treatment had higher risk factors at baseline.

Utilizing hepatitis C antibody-positive but nucleic acid test-negative liver donors for HCV-negative liver transplant recipients opens up liver transplant options, allowing for the use of livers available due to drug overdose, according to experts.

Treatment with Epclusa for 12 weeks resulted in high sustained virologic response rates among patients with hepatitis C genotypes 1 through 6, irrespective of baseline NS5A resistance-associated substitutions, according to recently published data.

State Medicaid programs that relaxed their treatment eligibility requirements for patients with hepatitis C virus demonstrated significantly increased treatment use from 2014 to 2016 compared with states that did not, a recently published analysis found.

Patients with chronic hepatitis C may have a decreased immune response to a standard schedule of hepatitis B vaccination, according to results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

An analysis of the liver waitlist revealed that as the total number of liver transplantations in the U.S. has increased each year, alcoholic liver disease has become the leading indication over hepatitis C.

Recently published data suggest that higher hepatocellular carcinoma incidence after sustained virologic response with interferon-free hepatitis C treatment correlates to patient baseline risk factors, such as age, Child-Turcotte Pugh score and prior treatment, rather than IFN-free therapy.

Collaboration between local specialty pharmacies, providers and patients minimized time to therapy, lowered rates of direct-acting antiviral denial, facilitated patient financial assistance and helped optimize clinical outcomes, according to a recently published study.

Skeletal muscle mass increased significantly among patients with hepatitis C and low skeletal muscle mass after achieving sustained virologic response with direct-acting antiviral therapy, according to recently published data.