High prevalence of willingness to use direct-acting antiviral-based regimens for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among HIV/HCV coinfected people who use drugs

Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Hospital-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Background

People living with hepatitis C infection (HCV) have a significant impact on the global healthcare system, with high rates of inpatient service use. Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have the potential to alleviate this burden; however, the evidence on the impact of HCV infection and hospital outcomes is undetermined. This systematic review aims to assess this research gap, including how DAAs may modify the relationship between HCV infection and hospital-related outcomes.

Methods

We searched five databases up to August 2022 to identify relevant studies evaluating the impact of HCV infection on hospital-related outcomes. We created an electronic database of potentially eligible articles, removed duplicates, and then independently screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles.

Results

A total of 57 studies were included. Analysis of the included studies found an association between HCV infection and increased number of hospitalizations, length of stay, and readmissions. There was less consistent evidence of a relationship between HCV and in-hospital mortality. Only four studies examined the impact of DAAs, which showed that DAAs were associated with a reduction in hospitalizations and mortality. In the 14 studies available among people living with HIV, HCV coinfection similarly increased hospitalization, but there was less evidence for the other hospital-related outcomes.

Conclusions

There is good to high-quality evidence that HCV negatively impacts hospital-related outcomes, primarily through increased hospitalizations, length of stay, and readmissions. Given the paucity of studies on the effect of DAAs on hospital outcomes, future research is needed to understand their impact on hospital-related outcomes.

Accessing hepatitis C direct acting antivirals among people living with hepatitis C: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis C is curable with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). However, treatment uptake remains low among marginalized populations such as people who inject drugs. We sought to understand challenges to treatment uptake with DAAs among people living with hepatitis C and compare treatment experiences between people who do and do not inject prescription and/or unregulated drugs.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative study using focus groups with 23 adults aged 18 years and over who completed DAA treatment or were about to begin such treatment at the time of the study. Participants were recruited from hepatitis C treatment clinics across Toronto, Ontario. We drew upon stigma theory to interpret participants' accounts.

RESULTS

Following analysis and interpretation, we generated five theoretically-informed themes characterizing the experiences of individuals accessing DAAs: "being 'worthy' of the cure", "spatially enacted stigma", "countering social and structural vulnerability: the importance of peers", "identity disruption and contagion: attaining a 'social cure'" and "challenging stigma with population-based screening". Overall, our findings suggest that structural stigma generated and reproduced through healthcare encounters limits access to DAAs among people who inject drugs. Peer-based programs and population-based screening were proposed by participants as mechanisms for countering stigma within health care settings and 'normalizing' hepatitis C among the general population.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the availability of curative therapies, access to such treatment for people who inject drugs is limited by stigma enacted in and structured within healthcare encounters. Developing novel, low-threshold delivery programs that remove power differentials and attend to the social and structural determinants of health and reinfection are needed to facilitate further scale up of DAAs and support the goal of eradicating hepatitis C as a public health threat.

Collaborative Referral Model to Achieve Hepatitis C Micro-Elimination in Methadone Maintenance Treatment Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Although hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevails in patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), most do not receive anti-HCV therapy. This single-center observational study aimed to achieve HCV micro-elimination at an MMT center during the COVID-19 pandemic using a collaborative referral model, which comprised a referral-for-diagnosis stage (January 2020 to August 2020) and an on-site-diagnosis stage (September 2020 to January 2021). A multidisciplinary team was established and all MMT center patients were enrolled. HCV micro-elimination was defined as >90% of HCV-infected patients diagnosed and >80% of HCV-viremic patients treated. A total of 305 MMT patients, including 275 (90.2%) anti-HCV seropositive patients, were enrolled. Among 189 HCV-infected patients needing referral, the accumulative percentage receiving HCV RNA testing increased from 93 (49.2%) at referral-for-diagnosis stage to 168 (88.9%) at on-site-diagnosis stage. Among 138 HCV-viremic patients, the accumulative percentage receiving direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy increased from 77 (55.8%) at referral-for-diagnosis stage to 129 (93.5%) at on-site-diagnosis stage. We achieved an HCV RNA testing rate of 92.4% (254/275), an HCV treatment rate of 95.8% (203/212) and a sustained virological response rate of 94.1% (191/203). The collaborative referral model is highly effective in HCV RNA testing and HCV treatment uptake among MMT patients, achieving HCV micro-elimination.

Health programmes and services addressing the prevention and management of infectious diseases in people who inject drugs in Canada: a systematic integrative review

OBJECTIVES

People who inject drugs (PWID) experience a high burden of injection drug use-related infectious disease and challenges in accessing adequate care. This study sought to identify programmes and services in Canada addressing the prevention and management of infectious disease in PWID.

DESIGN

This study employed a systematic integrative review methodology. Electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL and Web of Science Core Collection) and relevant websites were searched for literature published between 2008 and 2019 (last search date was 6 June 2019). Eligible articles and documents were required to address injection or intravenous drug use and health programmes or services relating to the prevention or management of infectious diseases in Canada.

RESULTS

This study identified 1607 unique articles and 97 were included in this study. The health programmes and services identified included testing and management of HIV and hepatitis C virus (n=27), supervised injection facilities (n=19), medication treatment for opioid use disorder (n=12), integrated infectious disease and addiction programmes (n=10), needle exchange programmes (n=9), harm reduction strategies broadly (n=6), mobile care initiatives (n=5), peer-delivered services (n=3), management of IDU-related bacterial infections (n=2) and others (n=4). Key implications for policy, practice and future research were identified based on the results of the included studies, which include addressing individual and systemic factors that impede care, furthering evaluation of programmes and the need to provide comprehensive care to PWID, involving medical care, social support and harm reduction.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate the need for expanded services across a variety of settings and populations. Our study emphasises the importance of addressing social and structural factors that impede infectious disease care for PWID. Further research is needed to improve evaluation of health programmes and services and contextual factors surrounding accessing services or returning to care.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020142947.

"Stigma is where the harm comes from": Exploring expectations and lived experiences of hepatitis C virus post-treatment trajectories among people who inject drugs

BACKGROUND

The advent of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) medications has facilitated opportunities to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) among people who inject drugs (PWID). However, there remains a need for data about how to optimally support PWID throughout DAA post-treatment trajectories, including with regard to re-infection prevention. The objective of this study is therefore to identify how PWID with lived experience of HCV describe their expectations and experiences related to health and social outcomes, contexts, and substance use practices following completion of DAA treatment.

METHODS

We thematically analyzed data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews, conducted between January and June 2018, in Vancouver, Canada, with a purposive sample (n = 50) of PWID at various stages of DAA treatment (e.g., pre, peri, post).

RESULTS

Our analysis yielded three themes. First, while participants had hoped to experience holistic enhancements in wellbeing following HCV cure, discussions of actual post-treatment experiences tended to be located in physical health (e.g., increased energy). Second, participants often pointed to the ways in which HCV-related and other stigmas had restricted opportunities for health and healthcare access. Participants therefore identified stigma-reduction as a key motivator of HCV cure, and while reductions in internalized stigma were sometimes achieved, participants underscored that other forms of enacted stigma (e.g., related to: substance use, HIV, poverty) had continued to feature prominently in their post-treatment lives. Third, participants described considerable knowledge about how to prevent HCV re-infection following cure, but they also expressed apprehensiveness about how socio-structural barriers, including stigma and criminalization, could interfere with harm reduction and re-infection prevention efforts.

CONCLUSIONS

DAAs are transforming the health and wellbeing of some PWID. Yet, HCV-related policy must extend beyond the scale-up of DAAs to include concerted public health investments, including anti-stigma efforts and improvements to the social welfare system, to meaningfully advance equity in PWID's post-treatment trajectories and outcomes.

"I want to get better, but…": identifying the perceptions and experiences of people who inject drugs with respect to evolving hepatitis C virus treatments

BACKGROUND

The advent of highly tolerable and efficacious direct-acting antiviral (DAA) medications has transformed the hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment landscape. Yet, people who inject drugs (PWID) - a population with inequitably high rates of HCV and who face significant socio-structural barriers to healthcare access - continue to have disproportionately low rates of DAA uptake. The objective of this study is to explore how PWID with lived experience of HCV perceive and experience DAA treatment, in a setting with universal coverage of these medications since 2018.

METHODS

Informed by a critical interpretive framework, we thematically analyze data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted between January and June 2018 in Vancouver, Canada, with a purposive sample (n = 56) of PWID at various stages (e.g., pre, peri, post) of DAA treatment.

RESULTS

The analysis yielded three key themes: (i) life with HCV, (ii) experiences with and perceptions of evolving HCV treatments, and (iii) substance use and the uptake of DAA treatments. First, participants described how health and healthcare conditions, such as the deprioritizing of HCV (e.g., due to: being asymptomatic, healthcare provider inaction, gatekeeping) and catalysts to care (e.g., symptom onset, treatment for co-morbidities) shaped DAA treatment motivation and access. Second, participants described how individual and community-level accounts of evolving HCV treatments, including skepticism following negative experiences with Interferon-based treatment and uncertainty regarding treatment eligibility, negatively influenced willingness and opportunities to access DAAs. Concurrently, participants described how peer and community endorsement of DAAs was positively associated with treatment uptake. Third, participants favoured HCV care that was grounded in harm reduction, which included the integration of DAAs with other substance use-related services (e.g., opioid agonist therapy, HIV care), and which was often contrasted against abstinence-focused care wherein substance use is framed as a contraindication to HCV treatment access.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore several equity-oriented healthcare service delivery and clinician adaptations that are required to scale up DAAs among PWID living with HCV, including the provision of harm reduction-focused, non-stigmatizing, integrated, and peer-led care that responds to power differentials.

Integrated Care for the Use of Direct-acting Antivirals in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C and Substance Use Disorder

OBJECTIVES

Since little is currently known about predictors of response to direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) in people who inject drugs, we undertook an analysis of patients attending a hepatitis clinic with addiction services (outpatient clinics and inpatient services) to examine the outcomes associated with the treatment of difficult-to-manage patients with substance use. Our experience was based on integrated care.

METHOD

A retrospective analysis was undertaken of 50 patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and a history of addiction who received treatment with DAAs, according to European guidelines. These regimens were sofosbuvir/ledipasvir for 8 weeks (n = 3), sofosbuvir/ledipasvir ± ribavirin for 12 weeks (n = 19), sofosbuvir/daclatasvir for 12 weeks (n = 20), sofosbuvir/simeprevir (n = 1), or sofosbuvir/daclatasvir for 24 weeks (n = 7). Characteristics of patients who did versus did not achieve a sustained virologic response (SVR) 12 weeks after treatment were compared by univariate analysis.

RESULTS

Forty-two patients (84%) were male; mean age was 46.2 ± 7.3 years. Genotypes were 1 (n = 21), 2 (n = 4), 3 (n = 18), 4 (n = 6), or 6 (n = 1). Most patients were treatment-naïve (n = 38). Five patients had coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (n = 4) or hepatitis B (n = 1), 28 (56%) had evidence of cirrhosis on FibroScan (>12.5 kPa), and 34 (68%) were receiving opioid substitution therapy. Psychiatric disease, illicit drug use, unemployment, and homelessness/precarious housing were common. Forty-five patients (90%) achieved SVR, 2 were lost to follow-up, and 3 had treatment relapse.

CONCLUSIONS

SVR was not significantly associated with sociodemographic or virological characteristics, treatment, social environment, alcohol/drug use, and adherence. Although adherence was slightly worse than in "usual" patients, it did not affect the SVR rate. In these difficult-to-manage patients with HCV and substance use disorder, the real-world SVR rate (90%) was similar to that in nonaddicted populations.

HIV Serostatus and Having Access to a Physician for Regular Hepatitis C Virus Care Among People Who Inject Drugs

BACKGROUND

People who inject drugs (PWIDs) and who are living with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are vulnerable to a range of health-related harms, including liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death. There is limited evidence describing how HIV serostatus shapes access to a physician for regular HCV care among PWID.

SETTING

Data were collected through the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS), the AIDS Care Cohort to evaluate Exposure to Survival Services (ACCESS), and the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), 3 prospective cohorts involving people who use illicit drugs in Vancouver, Canada, between 2005 and 2015.

METHODS

Using generalized estimating equations, we examined the relationship between HIV-seropositivity and having access to a physician for regular HCV care. We conducted a mediation analysis to examine whether this association was mediated by increased frequency of engagement in health care.

RESULTS

In total, 1627 HCV-positive PWID were eligible for analysis; 582 (35.8%) were HIV-positive at baseline; and 31 (1.9%) became HIV-positive during follow-up. In multivariable analyses, after adjusting for a range of confounders, HIV serostatus [adjusted odds ratio = 1.99; 95% confidence interval: 1.77 to 2.24] was significantly associated with having access to HCV care. Approximately 26% of the effect was due to mediation.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate a positive relationship between HIV-seropositivity and having access to a physician for regular HCV care, which is partially explained through increased frequency of engagement in health care. These findings highlight the need to address patterns of inequality in access to HCV care among PWID.

Integrating hepatitis C and addiction care for people who inject drugs in the era of direct-acting antiviral therapy

As new, more tolerable and effective hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatments are available, there is a global need to consider how to maximize treatment access for groups who are most affected by HCV. A substantial number of people who inject drugs (PWID) are living with HCV, yet only a minority have received treatment. HCV treatment programs that are integrated into community-based addiction care may be a successful way to overcome barriers and increase access and uptake of HCV treatment for this population. Examples of successful HCV and addiction care integration in the community have been documented. However, potential challenges to integration exist and include changing healthcare provider roles, lack of stimulant use research and restrictive drug policies. Successful engagement of PWID in HCV care is critical step towards the elimination of HCV infection. Further research and efforts are needed in order to reach this goal.

Hepatitis C care continuum and associated barriers among people who inject drugs in Chennai, India

BACKGROUND

Little is known regarding barriers to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment among people who inject drugs (PWID) in low-resource settings, particularly in the era of direct-acting antiviral therapies.

METHODS

Between March, 2015-August, 2016, a cross-sectional survey was administered to community-based PWID in Chennai, India to examine the HCV care continuum and associated barriers. Adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) were estimated by multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance.

RESULTS

All participants were male (n = 541); 152 participants had HCV mono-infection and 61 participants had HIV/HCV co-infection. Only one HCV mono-infected and one HIV/HCV co-infected participant was linked to HCV care. Overall, there was moderate knowledge of HCV disease but poor knowledge of HCV treatment. Higher total knowledge scores were negatively associated with HIV/HCV co-infection (vs. HCV mono-infection), though this was not statistically significant in adjusted analysis (APR = 0.71 [95%CI = 0.47-1.06]). Participants ≥45 years (APR = 0.73 [95%CI = 0.58-0.92]) and participants with HIV/HCV co-infection (APR = 0.64 [95%CI = 0.47-0.87]) were less willing to take weekly interferon injections for 12 weeks. Willingness to undergo HCV treatment improved with decreasing duration of therapy, higher perceived efficacy, and use of pills vs. interferon, though willingness to use interferon improved with decreasing duration of therapy. Most participants preferred daily visits to a clinic for HCV treatment versus receiving a month's supply. Participants ≥45 years (vs. <45 years; APR = 0.70 [95%CI = 0.56-0.88]) and participants with HIV/HCV co-infection (APR = 0.75 [95%CI = 0.57-0.98]) were less likely to intend on seeking HCV care. Common reasons for not having already seen a provider for HCV treatment differed by HIV status, and included low perceived need for treatment (HCV-mono-infected), competing money/health priorities and costs/fears about treatment (HIV/HCV-co-infected).

CONCLUSION

Residual gaps in HCV knowledge and continuing negative perceptions related to interferon-based therapy highlight the need to scale-up educational initiatives. Readiness for HCV treatment was particularly low among HIV/HCV co-infected and older PWID, emphasizing the importance of tailored treatment strategies.

Interferon-free direct-acting antiviral therapy for acute hepatitis C virus infection in HIV-infected individuals: A literature review

Dramatic rises in hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection rates in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals have been observed recently, largely attributable to increasing recreational drug use combined with increased testing for HCV. In the era of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy, treatment of acute HCV infection in HIV-infected individuals with short durations of these drugs may potentially reduce the disease and economic burden associated with HCV infection as well as reducing the likelihood of onward HCV transmission. We performed an extensive literature search of PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar up to 05 September 2017 for clinical trials of acute HCV infection in HIV-infected individuals. In the studies identified, rates of sustained virologic response at 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12) ranged from 21% with 6 weeks of therapy up to 92% with 12 weeks of therapy with sofosbuvir and ribavirin. Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir for 6 weeks achieved an SVR of 77%. No HIV-related events occurred regardless of whether patients were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and DAAs were well tolerated. Data is currently limited with regards to optimal regimens and durations of therapy, which need to be tailored based on potential interactions with concurrent ART and consideration for the fact that patients with higher baseline HCV RNA levels may require an extended duration of treatment.