Doctor Joseph Doyle, Professor Margaret Hellard, Doctor Amanda Wade
Uptake of currently available hepatitis C treatment in Australia is low, with only 2% those infected being treated each year. The reasons for this are multifactorial, but a significant barrier is treatment accessibility.
With the advent of well-tolerated, short duration, interferon free DAA therapy there is an opportunity to increase access to treatment by providing care in the community.
This open-label, randomised, multicentre study will examine the feasibility and cost of treating people infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C in a primary healthcare setting (PHCS) compared to a traditional, tertiary health care setting, using a highly effective DAA regimen.
Patients presenting to PHCS will be randomized to treatment for HCV in the PHCS versus the affiliated tertiary hospital hepatitis treatment service. Primary endpoints include treatment efficacy, retention in care and cost.
Exploring models of care for hepatitis C treatment will determine the most efficient and cost effective system to challenge the epidemic.
For more information relating to this project, please contact Amanda Wade: