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Effectiveness of DAA-based treatment of HCV in active people who inject
drugs living in middle income countries (MIC): the results of a prospective cohort study in Tbilisi, Georgia
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HCV Treatment - Management at OAT Clinics
"Physicians treating HCV infection among PWID attending OAT [opioid agonist therapy] clinics recognized the importance of HCV testing and treatment. However, self-perceived competency related to HCV management and treatment was low, highlighting the importance of improved HCV education and training among physicians practicing in clinics offering OAT."
° New HCV infections nearly tripled from 2010 to 2015.
° In states where opioid use is especially high, injection drug use was estimated to account for 70% of new HCV infections.
° Much of the burden of chronic HCV has fallen on baby boomers (those born between 1945 and 1965), but the opioid epidemic is rapidly spreading HCV among the younger generation of Americans who inject drugs.
° Rapid blood tests for chronic HCV make initial screening a simple process, such as a finger stick.
° Research has shown that clinics offering treatment for opioid dependence, such as opioid agonist therapy (OAT), may offer an opportunity to screen and evaluate patients for chronic HCV infection.
Reported by Jules Levin
6th International Symposium on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users (INHSU); Jersey City, NJ, USA; September 6-8, 2017.
Jason Grebely1; Martine Drolet2; Chizoba Nwankwo3; Martha Torrens4; Andrej Kastelic5; Stephan Walcher6; Lorenzo Somaini7; Emily Mulvihill8; Jochen Ertl8; Alain H Litwin9
1The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia; 2Merck Canada Inc., Montreal, Canada; 3Merck Research Laboratories (Rahway, NJ), Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA; 4Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), and Department of Psychiatry, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 5National Centre for Treatment of Drug Addiction, University Psychiatric Clinic Ljubljana, Slovenia; 6CONCEPT, Center for Addiction-Medicine, Munich, Germany; 7Addiction Treatment Centre Local Health Unit ASL Biella, Biella, Italy; 8Kantar Health, St. Louis, MO, USA; 9Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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