The World Health Organization’s targets for hepatitis C elimination by 2030 are ambitious, but, in 2020, global leadership demonstrated by Egypt, innovative strategies to improve linkage to treatment for marginalized populations and the broadened capacity of direct-acting antiviral therapy have been promising for enhanced global elimination efforts.
Key advances
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A massive national hepatitis C screening and treatment programme in Egypt has demonstrated the feasibility of major progress towards elimination in a high-prevalence lower–middle income country setting6.
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A cluster-randomized trial in Scottish pharmacies found higher linkage to treatment for people on opiate agonist therapy using a pharmacist-led model of care compared with a conventional model of care7.
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An ultra-short (7 day) antiviral regimen was highly effective (100%) for prevention of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in HCV-uninfected recipients of solid organ transplants from donors with HCV infection9.
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Change history
05 January 2021
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-00407-z.
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Feld, J. J. et al. Short-course, direct-acting antivirals and ezetimibe to prevent HCV infection in recipients of organs from HCV-infected donors: a phase 3, single-centre, open-label study. Lancet Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 5, 649–657 (2020).
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Acknowledgements
The Kirby Institute is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Australian Government. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors. G.J.D. is supported through a National Health and Medical Research Council Practioner Fellowship.
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G.J.D. is an advisory board member and receives honorarium from Gilead, Merck and Abbvie, has received research grant funding from Gilead, Merck and Abbvie, and travel sponsorship from Gilead, Merck and Abbvie. S.B. declares no competing interests.
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Dore, G.J., Bajis, S. Hepatitis C virus elimination: laying the foundation for achieving 2030 targets. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 18, 91–92 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-00392-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-00392-3
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