Impact of improved treatment on disease burden of chronic hepatitis C in New Zealand
Edward Gane, Catherine Stedman, Cheryl Brunton, Sarah Radke, Charles Henderson, Chris Estes, Homie Razavi
In this study, local experts have reviewed how many New Zealanders have hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, how many will develop liver cancer or liver failure, and how many will need liver transplantation or will die from these complications. This year, approximately 140 New Zealanders died from HCV this year and by 2030, this number will climb to 350. The only way to prevent these deaths is by curing patients with successful antiviral treatment. Despite this, very few New Zealanders are being treated because current treatment has a low chance of success, bad side-effects and requires weekly injections of interferon for up to 1 year. Newer antiviral treatments have been developed which are all oral, have few side-effects and can cure 95% of patients after only 12 weeks. Timely funding of these new treatments could prevent most complications and deaths in patients with HCV. Widespread access should also reduce new cases of infection and if combined with other efforts to prevent disease transmission like needle exchange, should eliminate HCV from NZ within our lifetime.
