Volume 7, Issue 3

HCV & PWID: Should We Treat?

In this issue:

People who inject drugs (PWID) make up the majority of people living with HCV. High rates of HCV cure, similar to those for people who do not use drugs, have been established among PWID who undergo treatment (~90% sustained virologic response [SVR]), including those who are actively using drugs.

In this issue, Dr. Brianna Norton and Dr. Matthew Akiyama from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine analyze the most important data to explain how substance use impacts adherence and the risk of HCV reinfection. 

Learning objectives:

  • Describe HCV treatment effectiveness among PWID across practice settings.  
  • Explain the impact of substance use on adherence and the risk of reinfection following successful HCV therapy.   

Authors:

Matthew Akiyama, MD, MSc
Matthew Akiyama, MD, MSc

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Montefiore Medical Center 
Bronx, NY

Brianna Norton, DO, MPH
Brianna Norton, DO, MPH

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Montefiore Medical Center 
Bronx, NY

Program Directors:

Mark S. Sulkowski, MD

Professor of Medicine
Division of Infectious Diseases
Medical Director, Viral Hepatitis Center
Divisions of Infectious Diseases and Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland

Raymond T. Chung, MD

Director of Hepatology and Liver Center
Vice Chief, Gastroenterology
Kevin and Polly Maroni Research Scholar
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

Taryn Haselhuhn, BA, BSN, MSN, CRNP

The Johns Hopkins Hospital
​Baltimore, Maryland

Length of activity:

1.0 hour Physicians
1.0 contact hour Nurses

Launch date: March 31, 2020
Expiration date: March 30, 2022