People who use drugs are at higher risk of HIV: directly through the sharing of injecting equipment, indirectly through associated risk behavior, and physiologically through the substances' impact on the immune system. Drug users, especially people who inject drugs (PWID) are a bridge to the general population. The treatment of drug addiction and provision of harm reduction interventions have i...

BACKGROUND & AIMS We determined the optimal HCV treatment prioritization strategy for interferon-free (IFN-free) HCV direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) by disease stage and risk status incorporating treatment of people who inject drugs (PWID). METHODS A dynamic HCV transmission and progression model compared the cost-effectiveness of treating patients early vs. delaying until cirrhosis for patie...

The majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) occurs among people who inject drugs (PWID) [1], and the burden of HCV-related liver disease is still increasing [2]. HCV treatment is safe and effective among PWID [3], and international guidelines encourage HCV treatment in this group [4, 5], but HCV treatment uptake remains low among PWID [6, 7], mainly due to patient-, practitionerand systems-related ...

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common among people who inject drugs (PWID) on methadone program in Iran (Persia). However, a few PWID on methadone program report willingness to receive HCV treatment. This study aimed to assess the factors which were associated with willingness to receive HCV treatment in a group of PWID on methadone program in Iran.Methods: We surveyed 187 PWID at seven...

BACKGROUND People who inject drugs (PWID) use healthcare services, including primary care, at a disproportionately high rate. We investigated key correlates of general practitioner (GP) related service utilisation within a cohort of PWID. METHODS Using baseline data from a cohort of 645 community-recruited PWID based in Melbourne, Victoria, we conducted a secondary analysis of associations be...

BACKGROUND Pharmacies are an important source of sterile syringes for people who inject drugs (PWID) in Tajikistan who are under high risk of HIV and hepatitis C virus. Accessibility of sterile syringes at pharmacies without prescription may depend on pharmacists' attitudes towards PWID. This qualitative inquiry examines meanings and processes of stigmatization of PWID among pharmacists and pha...

BACKGROUND Although guidelines recommend that people who inject drugs (PWID) should not be excluded from hepatitis C (HCV) treatment, some services remain reluctant to treat PWID. The aim of this review was to investigate sustained virologic response (SVR), adherence, discontinuation, and HCV reinfection among PWID. METHODS A search of Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases (between 2002 and...

Where active antiretroviral therapy (ART) is accessible, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a survivable illness and effective ART can reduce HIV transmission. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as a threat to the survival of individuals harboring both HCV and HIV, due to high prevalence and aggressive disease course. The HCV/HIV coinfection epidemic has been driven by people who in...

BACKGROUND People who inject drugs (PWID) are a key population affected by the global HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemics. HIV and HCV prevention interventions for PWID include needle and syringe programmes (NSP), opioid substitution therapy (OST), HIV counselling and testing, HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART), and condom distribution programmes. We aimed to produce country-level, regional...

BACKGROUND Tajikistan and other Central Asian republics are facing intertwined epidemics of injecting drug use and HIV. This paper aims to examine drug scene, drug use, drug-related infectious diseases, drug treatment and other responses to health consequences of drug injecting in two Tajik cities of Kulob (Khatlon Region) and Khorog (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast). METHODS We conducted ...