A new study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy reports that despite high rate of hepatitis C (HCV) infection in the people who inject drugs (PWID), there is relatively poor awareness about the effectiveness of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment among this population in Scotland.
Researchers conducted a nation-wide survey of PWID who attended injecting equipment provision sites in Scotland during 2015–2016. Participants were questioned about the awareness of HCV treatment and knowledge about the effectiveness of new therapies.
Of the 2623 participants surveyed, 92% had ever been tested for HCV, and 9% had a history of HCV treatment. Among the participants who had never received HCV treatment (n = 2397), 79% were aware that HCV treatment exists. The awareness was highest among those who had ever been tested and self-reported HCV infected (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 16.04; 95% CI, 10.57–24.33) or were HCV uninfected (aOR, 3.11; 95% CI, 2.30–4.22), compared to those who were never tested.
Only 17% of the participants were aware of very high effectiveness of HCV treatments, with the highest awareness among those who had been tested for HCV, self-reported a positive test result, and had attended a specialist service (aOR, 9.76; 95%CI, 5.13–18.59) or never attended a specialist service (aOR, 3.91; 95%CI, 2.03–7.53) and those who self-reported a negative test result (aOR, 2.56; 95%CI 1.36–4.81), compared with those who had never been tested.
Despite great advancements in the therapeutic landscape of HCV, the study suggests an overall suboptimal awareness of DAA effectiveness among PWID in Scotland and highlights the need for intervention to ensure that high-risk groups are fully informed of the high effectiveness of new antiviral therapies.
