EPIToPe
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating the Population Impact of Hepatitis C Direct Acting Antiviral Treatment as Prevention for People Who Inject Drugs
IRAS ID
244197
Contact name
John Dillon
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Dundee
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 30 days
Research summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus that can seriously damage the liver and is spread mainly through blood-to-blood contact with an infected person. The greatest risk of acquiring the virus in the UK is through injecting drug use. Our modelling work shows that treating HCV in people who inject drugs (PWID) may help to prevent its spread and is likely to be cost-effective compared to delaying treatment or treating non-PWID with mild or moderate disease. An intensive programme of HCV treatment, across multiple pathways (drug treatment centres, community pharmacies, needle and syringe programmes, prison), has been established within NHS Tayside and its impact on the prevalence and incidence of HCV within the Tayside population of PWID is being evaluated. The aim of this study is to evaluate these four novel HCV treatment pathways in terms of their cost, treatment success rates and acceptability to patients and treatment deliverers. We will ask up to 120 patients undergoing treatment across the four novel pathways to complete a brief questionnaire on their lifestyle and quality of life at different time points, across all four treatment pathways. We will also carry out interviews with some of these individuals to capture their experience of the treatment pathway. In addition we will interview individuals who refuse treatment, and we will interview health care staff involved in the delivery of Hepatitis C treatment. The data collected will highlight the potential barriers and facilitators to replicating the intensive treatment practices developed in Tayside in other regions.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
18/ES/0128
Date of REC Opinion
31 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion