THE ISSUE:
Encouraging new hepatitis C treatments are now available that increase success rates to up to 70%. New treatments are important for those living with HCV and HIV since these infections increase the risk of developing end stage liver disease, one of the leading causes of death in this population.
However, not all patients living with HIV and HCV are eligible for these new treatments. It is important to identify challenges such as depression, alcohol abuse and drug-drug interactions for the greatest number of patients to benefit from these new treatments.
THE RESEARCH:
The Canadian Co-Infection Cohort study is a research project involving people living with HIV and HCV in Canada. As of October 2011, the study included 1020 participants from 16 health care centers across Canada.
THE FINDINGS:
CONCLUSION:
This study shows that despite our optimism, few patients would be able to benefit from new HCV treatments.
MOVING FORWARD:
Strategies to increase the number of patients eligible for new treatments include:
Publication:
Klein MB et al. Who needs direct acting antivirals for Hepatitis C virus (HCV)? Challenges faced in advancing HCV therapy for HIV-HCV co-infected persons, Antiviral Therapy, 2012.
Link to full publication:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23211632