Hepatitis C
Fighting for a
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to finally eliminate hepatitis C is
within our grasp, says Professor
Ashley Brown
hen I first graduated in medicine, hepatitis C didn’t even have
a name, let alone a cure. The clinical condition characterised
by low-level inflammation leading to liver fibrosis, and in
some cases to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer, was
known as ‘non-A-non-B hepatitis’. Once the virus had finally
been isolated and identified in the late 1980s, it acquired a catchier name, joining
the alphabet of viral hepatitides as hepatitis C (HCV). In the 30 years since I
began practising, the shift from this earlier era of ignorance to the current
possibility for elimination has been unprecedented in the history of medicine.
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus, meaning that it is transmitted through
blood-to-blood contact, such as getting a tattoo with an unclean needle or
receiving treatment in a country or environment where inadequately sterilised
medical or dental equipment is reused. An estimated 4,000 haemophiliacs in the
UK were infected with HCV when they received contaminated blood products
prior to the initiation of screening blood donations in 1991. But the most
common method of transmission in the UK today is through the sharing of
needles and other drug paraphernalia.
It has been estimated that around half of all people who inject drugs (PWIDs)
have been exposed to the virus at some point. Because of the social stigma and
legal issues surrounding drug use, hepatitis C brings with it a raft of shame,
ignorance, and fear. Many people resist testing because they don’t want to be ‘in
the system’, while others experience no symptoms so feel there is no hurry to
test. Sadly a stigma exists that rivals HIV in the 1980s, which we need to dispel
so that people are less fearful about finding out their HCV status.
In the early years of attempting to treat this virus, clinicians believed that by
boosting the immune system with very high doses of interferon – a substance
produced naturally in response to viral infections – HCV infection could be
overcome. This early treatment was successful in beating the virus in between 30
and 60 per cent of cases, but this limited success came at a high price. The flu-like
side effects were deeply unpleasant and often intolerable, and the treatment
could also trigger depression and exacerbate other mental health issues. Worse
still, the drug had to be injected, a major deterrent for many recovering drug
users. This meant that many people at risk refused even to test for HCV, let alone
contemplate treatment.
W
hankfully we have moved on from the dark days of interferon-based
treatments to an era where cure is not just possible but highly
probable. A pharmaceutical revolution has resulted in the
development of a whole range of highly effective drugs called direct-
acting antivirals (DAAs) that target the virus directly, with minimal
side effects, and can cure it in more than 95 per cent of cases.
T
6 | drinkanddrugsnews | October 2018
These incredible medicines provide us with an opportunity to eliminate HCV as
a public health concern. The challenge has already been laid down by NHS
England, which announced earlier this year that it was aiming to make England
the first country in the world to eliminate hepatitis C by 2025 – a full five years
ahead of the World Health Organization (WHO) global target.
However, two major obstacles remain in our way. Firstly, since the majority of
people living with HCV are unaware of their infection we need to ensure that all
those who may be at risk are given appropriate information and offered testing
and pathways into treatment. Secondly, there are many who have been diagnosed
but due to lifestyle, stigma or ignorance of advances in treatment have
disengaged from treatment services.
To overcome the first obstacle we need to understand that hepatitis C is a
disease of vulnerable people who might lead chaotic lifestyles, which means
testing and treatment must be available where these groups access care – not
only in hospitals and GP surgeries but homeless shelters, needle exchanges,
sexual health clinics, pharmacies and amongst the prison population.
We know from peer-to-peer conversations that out-of-date misinformation
about diagnosis and treatment persists, dissuading those who would benefit from
treatment from coming forward to receive it. All healthcare professionals
therefore need to make it clear that the days of the brutal interferon treatments
are over, and that simple, short, well-tolerated oral drug combinations are
available to all.
In order to overcome the second we need to radically reconfigure existing HCV
treatment services. Commissioners need to be asking about HCV treatment
delivery in their area, and we have to accept that many who need treatment will
simply not conform to classical care pathways. New treatments are
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com