Given that World Hepatitis Day was held on July 28th, PAN staff took some time to reflect on the forward movement of this year in respect to hepatitis c (HCV) in BC.
February proved to be an exciting month, as the Canadian Treatment Action Council (CTAC) published a paper calling on government and policy-makers to strategize on the goal of elimination of HCV. This would include ending fibrosis staging (more on that below!), expanding access to point of care testing, and work to expand access to various effective treatments (known as “direct-acting antivirals” or DAAs) for HCV.
March saw two simultaneous leaps forward for BC: the addition of Vosevi to the PharmaCare formulary, a new chronic hepatitis C drug; as well as the end of fibrosis staging restrictions for treatment coverage in BC. The fibrosis staging restrictions meant that people were not able to access treatment unless their liver had a certain level of damage. The shift means that anyone living with chronic HCV can now access publicly funded treatment. While there is still work to be done ensuring people living with HCV are linked into treatment, these two steps will have a huge impact on treatment access and quality of life for BC residents living with HCV.
June also saw a shift in the way we approach HCV, as the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (CASL) presented new guidelines for HCV screening in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Despite existing guidelines officially recommending screening only for those with apparent risk factors (such as use of intravenous drugs), CASL now recommends broad age-based screening for those in the baby boomer generation (born between 1945 – 1975). It is hoped that this new approach will help identify many more Canadians who are unaware that they are living with HCV, and contribute to Canada’s goal of complete HCV elimination by 2030
Spring also saw the release of the Pacific Hepatitis C Network’s survey report: Hep C Resources in BC: what we have – what’s missing – and next steps. The report outlines the results of their needs assessment, which focused on information and advocacy needs surrounding hepatitis C in the province of BC. This needs assessment was completed as work through the Hepatitis C Caucus under the PHSA’s Collective Impact Network. You can read a summary of the findings on PAN’s website.
These and other steps mean that many more people in BC will be able to access short duration, low side effect treatment with a 95% cure rate. We at PAN are excited to see this progress and while we recognize and will support the work that needs to be done to develop systems for equitable testing and treatment access, we hope that the trend of finding, treating, and supporting people living with HCV in BC continues.
Questions? Comments? Please contact Madeline Gallard, CBR and Evaluation Assistant at [email protected].
Learn More:
Eliminating hepatitis C in Canada(CTAC)
Chronic hepatitis C medication now available for all British Columbians
More patients to benefit from hepatitis C treatments
New Guidelines for HCV screening
Hep C Resources in BC: what we have – what’s missing – and next steps .