We organised the first study on the development trends of national action plans, strategies and guidelines on HCV treatment for People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in Europe.

Between 2013 and 2016, there was a positive trend in recognising PWID as a group of individuals for whom strategic action is needed to increase access to and availability of HCV treatment. In the majority of European countries, DAAs were reported to be available; however, restrictions on their use were reported in almost all of them, of which the most common were fibrosis stage, and current and/or previous injecting drug use.

The study concludes that in order to reduce the HCV-related disease burden among PWID, a radical change in the HCV response is needed in many of the European countries. National strategies, action plans and guidlines that specifically address recommendations for treating PWID with HCV need to be further developed and adopted. Involving all stakeholders, including relevant NGOs, in the monitoring and reporting of national responses would be a significant step forward towards the elimination of HCV as a public health threat, as set out in the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on Hepatitis, 2016–2021.

Read the study here:  https://rdcu.be/bA4bt