Treatment as Prevention for Hepatitis C (TraP Hep C) - a nationwide elimination programme in Iceland using direct-acting antiviral agents

• Published in: Journal of Internal Medicine
• Main Authors: Olafsson, S., Tyrfingsson, T., Runarsdottir, V., Bergmann, O. M., Hansdottir, I., Björnsson, E. S., Johannsson, B., Sigurdardottir, B., Fridriksdottir, R. H., Löve, A., Hellard, M., Löve, T. J., Gudnason, T., Heimisdottir, M., Gottfredsson, M.
• Other Authors: 1 Landspitali Univ Hosp, Div Gastroenterol & Hepatol, Reykjavik, Iceland Show more 2 Univ Iceland, Fac Med, Sch Hlth Sci, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Show more 3 Univ Iceland, SAA Natl Ctr Addict Med, Reykjavik, Iceland Show more 4 Univ Iceland, Fac Psychol, Sch Hlth Sci, Reykjavik, Iceland Show more 5 Landspitali Univ Hosp, Div Infect Dis, Reykjavik, Iceland Show more 6 Landspitali Univ Hosp, Div Virol, Reykjavik, Iceland Show more 7 Burnet Inst, Ctr Populat Hlth, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Show more 8 Monash Univ, Dept Epidemiol & Prevent Med, Clayton, Vic, Australia Show more 9 Alfred Hosp, Dept Infect Dis, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Show more 10 Landspitali Univ Hosp, Dept Sci, Reykjavik, Iceland Show more 11 Landspitali Univ Hosp, Directorate Hlth, Reykjavik, Iceland Show more 12 Landspitali Univ Hosp, Div Finance, Reykjavik, Iceland, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Landspitali University Hospital; Reykjavik Iceland, SAA - National Center of Addiction Medicine; Reykjavik Iceland, Division of Infectious Diseases; Landspitali University Hospital; Reykjavik Iceland, Faculty of Medicine; School of Health Sciences; University of Iceland; Reykjavik Iceland, Centre for Population Health; Burnet Institute; Melbourne VIC Australia, Chief Epidemiologist; Directorate of Health; Landspitali University Hospital; Reykjavik Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2018
• Subjects: Hepatitis; Lifrarbólga; Lyfjameðferð; Lyfjagjöf; END12; TMD12; VEI12; RES12; FJA12; Hepatitis C; Antiviral Agents; Disease Eradication; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/620592; https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.12740

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files A nationwide programme for the treatment of all patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) was launched in Iceland in January 2016. By providing universal access to direct-acting antiviral agents to the entire patient population, the two key aims of the project were to (i) offer a cure to patients and thus reduce the long-term sequelae of chronic hepatitis C, and (ii) to reduce domestic incidence of HCV in the population by 80% prior to the WHO goal of HCV elimination by the year 2030. An important part of the programme is that vast majority of cases will be treated within 36 months from the launch of the project, during 2016-2018. Emphasis is placed on early case finding and treatment of patients at high risk for transmitting HCV, that is people who inject drugs (PWID), as well as patients with advanced liver disease. In addition to treatment scale-up, the project also entails intensification of harm reduction efforts, improved access to diagnostic tests, as well as educational campaigns to curtail spread, facilitate early detection and improve linkage to care. With these efforts, Iceland is anticipated to achieve the WHO hepatitis C elimination goals well before 2030. This article describes the background and organization of this project. Clinical trial number: NCT02647879. Merck Astellas Gilead Gilead Sciences AbbVie BMS