A Framework for Approaching Hepatitis C Reinfection in People Who Use Drugs

Despite tremendous advances in the management of HCV, including the availability of a curative treatment, an estimated 57 million people worldwide are living with chronic HCV. People who inject drugs (PWIDs) are a key at-risk population for both prevalent and incident HCV, and thus are a critical focus for HCV elimination efforts. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy is both safe and effective in PWID. Moreover, in the absence of an effective vaccine for HCV, modeling studies support scaling up DAA access in PWID in a “treatment-as-prevention” strategy. However, HCV reinfection after successful DAA treatment remains a concern and could hinder elimination efforts.

A review, published in Clinical Liver Disease, summarizes HCV reinfection incidence and outcomes among PWIDs and describes a multifaceted approach to addressing HCV reinfection among PWIDs.