Number of people treated for hepatitis C virus infection in 2014-2023 and applicable lessons for new HBV and HDV therapies
Journal
Journal of Hepatology
ISSN
0168-8278
Date Issued
2025-02
Author(s)
Homie A. Razavi
Imam Waked
Huma Qureshi
Loreta A. Kondili
Ann-Sofi Duberg
Soo Aleman
Junko Tanaka
Jeffrey V. Lazarus
Daniel Low-Beer
Zaigham Abbas
Antoine Abou Rached
Alessio Aghemo
Inka Aho
Ulus S. Akarca
Said A. Al-Busafi
Waleed K. Al-Hamoudi
Khalid Al-Naamani
Ahmed Sabry Alaama
Manahil M. Aldar
Mohammed Alghamdi
Monica Alonso Gonzalez
Haleema Alserehi
Anil C. Anand
Tarik Asselah
Abdullah M. Assiri
Kostas Athanasakis
Rita Atugonza
Ziv Ben-Ari
Thomas Berg
Carlos E. Brandão-Mello
Ashley S.M. Brown
Kimberly A. Brown
Robert S. Brown
Philip Bruggmann
Maurizia R. Brunetto
Maria Buti
Hugo Cheinquer
Peer Brehm Christensen
Vladimir Chulanov
Laura E. Cisneros Garza
Carla S. Coffin
Nicola Coppola
Antonio Craxi
Javier Crespo
Fuqiang Cui
Olav Dalgard
Alethse De La Torre
Victor De Ledinghen
Douglas Dieterich
Sylvia Drazilova
Jean-François Dufour
Mohamed El-Kassas
Mohammed Elbadri
Gamal Esmat
Rafael Esteban Mur
Brandon Eurich
Diana Faini
Paulo R.A. Ferreira
Robert Flisiak
Sona Frankova
Giovanni B. Gaeta
Ivane Gamkrelidze
Edward J. Gane
Virginia Garcia
Javier García-Samaniego
Manik Gemilyan
Magnus Gottfredsson
Michael Gschwantler
Ana P.M. Gurski
Behzad Hajarizadeh
Saeed S. Hamid
Angelos Hatzakis
Julian Hercun
Ivana Hockicková
Jee-Fu Huang
Bela Hunyady
Sharon J. Hutchinson
Naoko Ishikawa
Kiyohiko Izumi
Antonio Izzi
Martin Janicko
Peter Jarcuska
Agita Jeruma
Asgeir Johannessen
Kulpash S. Kaliaskarova
Knut B. Kielland
Nicolas Kodjoh
Shyamasundaran Kottilil
Pavol Kristian
Paul Y. Kwo
Martin Lagging
Hilton Lam
Pablo Lázaro
Mei-Hsuan Lee
Sabela Lens
Valentina Liakina
Young-Suk Lim
Michael Makara
Michael Manns
Casimir Mingiedi Manzengo
Sadik Memon
Maria Cássia Mendes-Correa
Vincenzo Messina
Håvard Midgard
Niamh Murphy
Erkin Musabaev
Marcelo C.M. Naveira
Helen Nde
Francesco Negro
Nirada Nim
Ponsiano Ocama
Sigurdur Olafsson
Casimir E. Omuemu
Javier J. Pamplona
Calvin Q. Pan
George V. Papatheodoridis
Nikolay Pimenov
Hossein Poustchi
Maria Giovanna Quaranta
Alnoor Ramji
Henna Rautiainen
Devin M. Razavi-Shearer
Kathryn Razavi-Shearer
Ezequiel Ridruejo
Cielo Y. Ríos-Hincapié
Shakhlo Sadirova
Faisal M. Sanai
Christoph Sarrazin
Gulya Sarybayeva
Ivan Schréter
Carole Seguin-Devaux
Leandro S. Sereno
Gamal Shiha
Josie Smith
Riham Soliman
Mark W. Sonderup
C. Wendy Spearman
Rudolf E. Stauber
Catherine A.M. Stedman
Vana Sypsa
Frank Tacke
Norah A. Terrault
Ieva Tolmane
Berend Van Welzen
Alexis S. Voeller
Yasir Waheed
Carolyn Wallace
Robert N. Whittaker
Vincent W-S Wong
Magdalena Ydreborg
Kakharman Yesmembetov
Ming-Lung Yu
Stefan Zeuzem
Eli Zuckerman
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The year 2023 marked the 10-year anniversary of the launch of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Monitoring HCV treatment trends by country, region, and globally is important to assess progress toward the World Health Organization's 2030 elimination targets. Additionally, historical patterns can help predict the uptake of future therapies for other liver diseases. METHODS: The number of people living with HCV (PLHCV) treated between 2014-2023 across 119 countries was estimated using national HCV registries, reported DAA sales data, pharmaceutical companies' reports, and estimates provided by national experts. For the countries with no available data, the average estimate of the corresponding Global Burden of Disease region was used. RESULTS: An estimated 13,816,000 (95% uncertainty intervals: 13,221,000-16,415,000) PLHCV were treated, of whom 12,748,000 (12,226,000-15,231,000) were treated with DAAs, of which 11,081,000 (10,542,000-13,338,000) were sofosbuvir-based DAA regimens. Country-level data accounted for 97% of these estimates. In high-income countries, there was a 41% drop in treatment from its peak, and reimbursement was a large predictor of treatment. In low- and middle-income countries, price played an important role in expanding treatment access through the public and private markets, and treatment continues to increase slowly after a sharp drop at the end of the Egyptian national program. CONCLUSIONS: In the last 10 years, 21% of all HCV infections were treated with DAAs. Regional and temporal variations highlight the importance of active screening strategies. Without program enhancements, the number of treated PLHCV stalled in every country/region, which may not reflect a lower prevalence but may instead reflect the diminishing returns of existing strategies. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: Long-term hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Since 2014, these infections can be effectively treated with 8-12 weeks of oral therapies. In 2015, the World Health Organization established targets to eliminate HCV by 2030, which included treatment targets for member countries. The current study examines HCV treatment patterns across 119 countries and regions from 2014 to 2023 to assess the impact of national programs. This study can assist physicians and policymakers in understanding treatment patterns within similar regions or income groups and in utilizing historical data to refine their strategies in the future.
SDGs
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Type
journal article