Gilead grant to address Hep C barriers

Gilead Sciences announced the recipients of its 2019 ‘COMMIT’ community grants program in Australia, Europe and Middle East.

The Burnet Institute, in partnership with Harm Reduction Victoria is the only Australian grant recipient and has been awarded AUD$170,000 for a project aimed at increasing access to hepatitis C (HCV) testing and treatment for people who inject drugs.

The Burnet Institute, a leading Australian Medical Research Institute and Harm Reduction Victoria, an independent community-based peer organisation that aims to advance the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs, will work collaboratively to implement an innovative Melbourne-based pilot project that will pair people with a lived experience of drug use and HCV, with people who currently inject drugs across Melbourne who have not been tested for hepatitis C or accessed curative hepatitis C treatment.

The peer-to-peer project aims to start a conversation about how to overcome the many barriers faced by people who inject drugs, which might be stopping them prioritising their health and to assist them to navigate pathways into hepatitis C testing, treatment and cure.   

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target of 2030 to eliminate viral hepatitis across the globe and working towards this target, Australia has led the way globally providing universal, unrestricted access to all people living with HCV, including at-risk groups such as injecting drug users and prisoners. More than 70,000 Australians have been cured of HCV since 2016 using new generation medicines known as direct-acting antivirals (DAAs).

However, although Australia has made great progress, an estimated 180,000 Australians are still living with treatable HCV, causing over 600 preventable deaths from liver cancer and liver failure every year. Marginalised and vulnerable groups, who are traditionally difficult to reach through “top down” public health initiatives, are disproportionately affected by the disease. The COMMIT program is designed to support non-profit organisations across EMEA working to tackle HCV and meet the WHO targets.

Sione Crawford, CEO of Harm Reduction Victoria said: “As a person with lived experience of injecting drug use who lived with HCV for nearly 20 years, I know that there are many personal and social barriers along the pathway to getting tested and treated for HCV. This important project will work with people who inject and service partners to clear away these barriers and work towards the elimination of HCV in this community most affected by the virus.”

The Burnet Institute’s Dr Alisa Pedrana said: “We are excited to be partnering with Harm Reduction Victoria to evaluate the impact that peer-to-peer support programs can have on addressing known barriers to care, such as stigma and discrimination that deeply affects this community. Curing someone of their hepatitis C can greatly improve their current health and well-being, as well as reduce their risk of developing severe liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma in the future. 

“We need to better support people who inject drugs to cure their hepatitis C and that is what this project is all about. A major strength of Australia’s response to HCV elimination has been its partnership approach, between key community organisations, government, the health sector and researchers working together, and this is a great example of that in action.”

Jaime McCoy, General Manager, Gilead Sciences ANZ said: “We’re proud of the role we have played to date in providing HCV treatment to all Australian’s, however we know there are still thousands living with the disease who could be cured but who aren’t being reached by current methods.”

“It is vital that we maintain momentum in our work to achieve WHO’s 2030 elimination target. Harm Reduction Victoria and The Burnet Institute’s program is a great example of how we can begin to close the gap and we’re thrilled to be able to support its implementation more broadly across Victoria.”

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