Hepatitis C News

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.”

Direct-acting antiviral therapies Harvoni and Daklinza plus Sovaldi were both safe and highly effective among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection who received heart transplants, researchers in Taiwan reported.

Hepatitis C transmission rates were high in Australian prisons and significantly correlated with injection drug use, according to a presentation at the International Symposium on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users. Additionally, prisoners were doubtful of the long-term efficacy of treatment-as-prevention in the prison setting.

People with hepatitis C virus infection and a recent or current history of drug use who were enrolled in a multidisciplinary care program responded well to direct-acting antiviral therapy and achieved a high rate of SVR, according to data presented at the International Symposium on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users.

People who inject drugs have historically represented a population at high risk for hepatitis C virus. However, these patients are often wary of authority figures or entities that might draw attention to or monitor their behavior. This caution may negatively affect their incentive to pursue treatment. The significant side effects of interferon-based therapies — previously the standard of care for HCV —may deter patients even more than fear of authority, as the side effects include IFN-induced bone marrow depression, flulike symptoms, neuropsychiatric disorders, and autoimmune syndromes. These regimens are also complicated and time-consuming, requiring 6 months of injections and a great deal of adherence.

The approval of two new regimens for treating hepatitis C comes as a very welcome development in the field. It is great news for patients and providers because both regimens offer new options for therapy.


The population of patients coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C in the U.S. remains largely marginalized for one reason or another. They are opioid drug users, Medicaid recipients, men who have sex with men; often, they are all the above. The fact that there are medications in the marketplace that can control or cure their dual infections makes their predicament even more frustrating. These are people who, clinically speaking, should be leading normal, healthy lives. Yet they are not.