People living with hepatitis C in Western Australia are being urged to take part in a new project aimed at encouraging the take-up of treatment.
Hepatitis C infection is one of the major causes of liver cirrhosis, cancer and liver failure. Treatment is important because it helps stop liver damage and might even prevent liver cancer.
New medicines to treat hepatitis C are safe, very effective and simple to take, requiring as little as one dose a day. These new medicines cure most people of infection (about 95 per cent) and are available at a low cost for people with a Medicare card. Despite this, many Australians with hepatitis C are yet to undertake the treatment.
According to modelling from the Kirby Institute, more than 120,000 Australians still needed hepatitis C treatment at the start of 2020, but currently only about 7 per cent are being treated each year.
The Motivate C project is being led by The University of Sydney in partnership with the Wesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Disease at The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Lead Investigator Professor Tom Snelling, from Sydney University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health, said the new project aimed to find out how to encourage as many people with hepatitis C as possible to seek treatment.
“While most people are aware that treatment is available, we know there are still barriers that prevent treatment, such as stigma and out-of-pocket expenses,” Professor Snelling said.
People living with hepatitis C can remain symptom-free for many years, so treatment may not be a high priority for them. We believe financial incentives may offer a simple yet potentially effective solution.
The project is seeking adults living with hepatitis C to participate. In 2016, the Australian Government endorsed the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, which set the overarching goal of elimination of viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030.
Professor Snelling said the knowledge gained from the Motivate C project would help Australia move towards that goal by informing how hepatitis C treatment is promoted to the tens of thousands of Australians who need it.
- The University of Sydney is leading this project in collaboration with researchers, healthcare providers and experts within the hepatitis C field.
- Funding for the project is provided by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund.
- Declaration: The project is approved by the Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (2022/ETH01681).
For more information on the project, including participant information, visit motivatec-project.sydney.edu.au