Hepatitis C News

The AASLD and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have updated their guidelines and resources for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C virus infection, according to a press release.

At the recent International Symposium on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users, researchers presented new data on injection drug users and their unique risk factors for hepatitis C infection and transmission, including younger age, and the critical need for HCV education among addiction clinic workers.

Hepatitis C testing among baby boomers increased more than 50% in New York, following the implementation of a testing law in 2014 that required health care providers to offer HCV screening to all patients born between 1945 to 1965, according to a report from the CDC.

Most patients with hepatitis C genotype 2, 4, 5 or 6 who received Mavyret for 8 weeks achieved sustained virologic response with a high safety profile, according to results from three phase 3 studies. The rate of virologic failure was less than 1%.

Elevated coffee consumption of three or more cups per day halved the all-cause mortality rate among patients with hepatitis C and HIV coinfection, according to a recently published study.

Patients with hepatitis C genotype 3, with or without compensated cirrhosis, achieved significantly high rates of sustained virologic response after treatment with Mavyret and experienced no significant adverse events related to the drug, according to recently published data from a phase 3 study.

Despite recent advances in hepatitis C treatment and the availability of hepatitis vaccinations, deaths attributable to viral hepatitis have exceeded those caused by all other chronic infectious diseases, including HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, according to findings from the Global Burden of Disease study.

Routine rapid testing for hepatitis C virus infection among adolescents and young adults was cost-effective when implemented in communities with a high prevalence of the virus and injection drug use, according to results of a recent modeling study.

Patients who were treated for hepatitis C virus infection through an opiate addiction program overwhelmingly achieved SVR even though many of them injected drugs, according to researchers.

“As there exists a regional variation in the prevalence of HCV and health care practices, studying the clinical profile of HCV in different parts of the world assumes significance for the development of strategies to prevent and treat HCV infection,” the researchers wrote. “This information can have a great impact on making and/or reshaping policies on screening and curing the current infections as well as preventing new ones.”