Categories: Health

Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) exceed 95% cure rate for hepatitis C

Total 165,731 patients have been reviewed in Spain since launch Strategic plan to solve the problem Hepatitis C (HCV), achieving indicators 95% cure. A fact showing that our country can be one of the first to eliminate this. disease.

Introduced in 2014 Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) This represented significant progress in the treatment of this pathology. However, to achieve the World Health Organization (WHO) goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030, more initiatives need to be launched to improve preventionHe diagnosis early, care and integrated patient management.

This was stated by experts inWorkshop on Viral Hepatitis: Elimination and Control as Key Goals‘, organized by Gilead Sciences, and attended by the heads of the major scientific societies using this approach.

Prevention

Experts agreed that it is necessary to use all diagnostic capabilities and go where the patients may be. In this sense, they emphasized the importance of conducting diagnostic tests in those people or groups who represent risk indicators and may be carriers of this virus.

Doctor Manuel RomeroPresident of AEEH, spoke about the current situation with viral hepatitis in Spain, analyzing where we are and remembering that to eliminate hepatitis C and achieve the 2030 goals, scientific societies and administrations must “work in an interdisciplinary manner.” public, specialists and organizations.”

Dr. Federico Garcia, President of SEIMC, recalled the importance of diagnostics: “It is very important to use any test to diagnose and treat them. Complex diagnosis of viral hepatitis is carried out in less than 50% of cases with HBV/HDV. That’s why it’s critical to increase the number of people diagnosed and connected to care, simplify and improve care regimen to avoid incomplete diagnosis and loss of patients (recovery of the lost). In the case of hepatitis Delta, we must test all people with chronic hepatitis B for HDV and treat them to prevent progression of the disease,” he said.

Despite this, there are still opportunities to bring diagnosis closer to those people who are living with the infection and do not know it. An example is hospital emergency services, where the prevalence of active infection is three times higher than in the general population.

So the doctor Juan Gonzalez del Castillocoordinator of the working group on infections SEMES (INFURG-SEMES), explained that emergencies play a key role in achieving zero hepatitis goals because “ 44% of patients seen in the emergency department do not know their status infections, and patients with a pronounced degree of fibrosis are often diagnosed (up to 51%). Late diagnosis can lead to progression to severe disease associated with higher mortality, poorer quality of life and higher costs.”

Hepatitis Delta

Experts also showed the importance of improving care for patients with Hepatitis Delta, which is the most serious viral hepatitis. This disease affects patients infected with the virus. hepatitis B (HBV)associated with faster progression fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver liver and increased risk cancer liver and death. Currently, many patients with VGB remain undiagnosed, in part due to limited knowledge about the disease and a historical lack of effective treatments.

Doctor about hepatitis Delta Manuel Romero He added that we must use “every opportunity to be able to treat patients with hepatitis Delta, which until now was not possible, and for this it is necessary to expand the diagnosis of patients with chronic hepatitis B and refer them to the health system for comprehensive treatment.” given the aggressiveness of this infection.”

During the presentation, Martha Velazquez, Director of Gilead’s Liver Business Unit, recalled that Gilead has more than 20 years of experience in the fight against liver diseases and more than 10 achievements for a positive future. During this time, the company managed to improve the lives of more than 10.9 million people around the world.

The company has completed two decades of innovation in the field of viral hepatitis since it began its journey with the first treatment for hepatitis B in 2003. Since 2014, Gilead has a portfolio of antiviral drugs for the treatment and treatment of hepatitis C. This portfolio of drugs for the treatment of viral hepatitis hepatitis was expanded in 2024 to include the only approved treatment for HDV on the National Health System (SNS). in Europe.

Gilead has implemented a strategy to support innovative projects both within hospitals and health centers to continue to diagnose and refer all infected patients. Initiatives that, as Marta Velázquez explained, “amount to 326 projects funded in 15 autonomous communities, exceeding the six million euros provided by Gilead as part of our commitment to innovation. But much remains to be done, and ambitious regional eradication plans are needed that include all parties involved and take advantage of all diagnostic capabilities. Because we firmly believe that no patient should be left behind.”

“At Gilead, we will continue to work in a coordinated manner with all agencies and organizations to achieve eradication. As part of this, we have expanded our commitment to viral hepatitis, now hepatitis Delta, the most serious and rapidly progressive, which affects many young patients who experience a rapid decline in health and quality of life, and which today in Every Day they have a new hope for an improvement in the prognosis of my life,” recalls Martha Velasquez.

In Spain, Gilead followed the recommendations of scientific societies and supported regional eradication plans and specialists in these projects seeking to achieve eradication of the disease. Among these projects, therefore, it is worth highlighting the Gilead fellowship projects for hepatitis C microelimination and hepatitis D epidemiology, which, together with AEEH, just failed their sixth competition, awarding 14 projects; o Detect-C is a project in collaboration with Socidrogalcohol that provides diagnostic kits to centers serving vulnerable populations.