Global hepatitis C elimination: history, evolution, revolutionary changes and barriers to overcome

Abstract

The fundamental discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 1989 has led to winning this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine. This achievement guided all the steps in identifying the elements of the virus, in order to develop the treatment and to increase the screening solutions, which have slowed the exposure to the virus. The management of infection started with interferon-alpha (IFN-α), which has later enhanced by adding Ribavirin. Nowadays, HCV treatment is based on direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Currently, HCV infection benefits of curative treatment, with which most patients can be cured. When speaking about hepatitis C future, we can say it is looking bright, considering all the progress that has been made in recent years and all the options that we have for curing all genotypes of HCV infection. The aim of this review is to sum up the historical characteristics of HCV discovery, the evolution of treatment and screening actions, gaps, and stages for achieving the international elimination target of the World Health Organization.

Resource Management through Artificial Intelligence in Screening Programs—Key for the Successful Elimination of Hepatitis C

“…To identify the persons that need immediate access to treatment, micro-elimination strategies aim to test specifically defined populations from an established geographical area. It appears that the micro-elimination design is more suitable than the macro-elimination one [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]. The ongoing diagnostic algorithm, using rapid diagnostic serological tests to detect HCV antibodies, can help to find the person exposed to the hepatitis C virus.…”

“…The ongoing diagnostic algorithm, using rapid diagnostic serological tests to detect HCV antibodies, can help to find the person exposed to the hepatitis C virus. After establishing seropositivity, HCV RNA is useful for discovering actively infected patients [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 22 ].…”

“…Alter, Charles M. Rice and Michael Houghton the Nobel Prize in 2020. Despite recent therapeutic advances, HCV remains a global public health concern [ 2 ]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 71 million persons are currently infected with HCV, 5.6 million of whom are in Europe [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) were introduced in 2013, this being a revolutionary point in the treatment of chronically HCV-infected patients [ 8 , 9 ], following several other antiviral regimens [ 8 , 9 , 10 ], as well as other treatment options [ 11 ]. These drug regimens have shown sustained virological response (SVR) in over 95% of the cases, once the infection was discovered [ 2 , 10 ]. These can help even patients with a wide range of comorbidities, as they are highly effective, well tolerated, safe and without substantial side effects [ 12 ].…”

Micro-Elimination: Updated Pathway to Global Elimination of Hepatitis C in Small Communities and Industrial Settings during the COVID 19 Pandemic

“…The management of patients with chronic HCV infection has progressed the most in the current biomedical era by introducing the novel drugs in 2013 which target the replication cycle, called direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) [ 4 ]. Tolerable, short, exceptionally efficient and with no significant side effects, these drugs have finally allowed all patients, once they are identified and treated, to have over 95% cure rates [ 5 , 6 ].…”