Hepatitis C virus (HCV) TasP®
Continue to pursue the TasP®-HCV initiative resulting in a data-driven, targeted intervention strategy to address persistent gaps in progress towards optimizing TasP® for HCV in BC.
Based on the concept that early access to testing and immediate and sustained access to treatment improves quality of life and longevity while curbing transmission, Treatment as Prevention®, or TasP®, was pioneered at the BC-CfE by Dr. Julio Montaner and has long been an established means of controlling the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Access to early testing and treatment also helps achieve the mission of STOP HEP C® by both curing HCV and curbing transmission.
Dr. Montaner and his team at the BC-CfE expanded this strategy to apply TasP® to HCV and develop STOP HCV®. In 2023, the BC Ministry of Health announced the joint efforts of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), and the BC Hepatitis Network (BCHN) to advance work towards a hepatitis-elimination plan, where HCV-TasP® would remain a cornerstone of this approach.
Among other things, the BC-CfE was tasked with the leadership of advancing STOP HCV® in the province with a particular focus on priority populations. The BC-CfE has done this to date by supporting patients and at-risk individuals to gain early access to the treatment, education and prevention they need to keep them and their communities safe.
The collaboration of BC-CfE and BCCDC, supported by the provincial government, intends to accelerate the rollout of HCV-TasP® so the spread of the viral HCV infection in the province can be more effectively monitored, supporting the goals of STOP VIRAL HEPATITIS®. By sharing key relevant data, BCCDC and BC-CfE can connect more people with HCV to lifesaving testing, treatment, care and support services in a timely manner.
Program overview
01
Focused HCV TasP® Initiative
Under the BC-CfE Epidemiology and Population Health Program, we have a focused HCV TasP® program that we continue to expand and evolve to STOP Viral Hepatitis®.
02
Program Scope and Collaboration
The scope and activities within the HCV TasP® program were defined and agreed upon between MOH, BC-CfE, and the BCCDC.
03
Strategic Direction and Next Steps
Furthermore, the recent SCA with MOH & BC-CfE has clarified the intention of this work over the next year, aligning with broader TDE® (Targeted Disease Elimination®) goals.
Our Key Activities
Key activities under the BC-CfE HCV TasP® strategy
01.
Evaluation of HCV TasP® efforts in province, particularly for priority populations for the BC-CfE
Secure access to HCV data
Establish working group with BCCDC
02.
Evaluation of risk and protective factors for HCV reinfection (Per-SVR)
Assessing re-infection risk and protective factors
Harm reduction impact
03.
Optimize and evaluate TasP® approaches for HCV for priority populations
PLHIV (e.g., quality improvement initiatives in DTP)
PWUD (e.g., Health Connect)
04.
Develop recommendations to improve healthcare and harm reduction services
Collaboration on BC Elimination roadmap
Innovation in public health approaches (i.e., DBS)
Development of a public health intervention strategy
WHAT IS STOP HCV®
Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention (STOP) Hepatitis C (STOP HCV®) is a BC program, expanding on the provincial STOP HIV/AIDS® program. STOP HCV® promotes the continued roll out and access of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) and efforts already underway to further promote harm reduction and risk reduction services in BC, particularly in the Downtown Eastside (DTES), as part of an ongoing collaboration between Vancouver Coastal Health, the BC-CfE, BCCDC and the BC Ministry of Health.
The aims and objectives of STOP HCV® are to describe and evaluate the use and overall impact (e.g, effectiveness, safety) of the ongoing roll out of DAA-based HCV therapy in BC.
WHY IS STOP HCV® IMPORTANT?
Although DAAs are available, they remain under-utilized in BC, especially among priority populations such as people who use drugs. As part of the HCV TasP® strategy, and the aims and objectives of STOP HCV®, the BC-CfE and its collaborators work towards true accessibility in order to effectively engage those at higher risk, to achieve HCV elimination
Health Connect
Study
Launched January 2024 – Closed recruitment and data collection February 2026
The Health Connect study was designed to leverage the integrated services of the entire H2H complex (the primary care clinic and supervised consumption site). We offer on-site, POC HCV antibody testing to all clients accessing the H2H SCS and invite them to take part in a longitudinal survey assessing their care trajectories and health care experiences. As a standard of care (SoC), participants are given the opportunity to engage in STBBI screening by means of dried blood spot (DBS) testing and a primary care referral to the H2H clinic (if unattached to primary care). As part of our research, we evaluate the SoC to help STOP Hep C®.
Funding
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Evaluation of a Hospital-Initiated Hepatitis C Treatment Quality Improvement Initiative for Patients with Untreated Infection
Study
01.
This project aims to improve access to HCV treatment by offering treatment initiation during hospitalization at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. Hospital stays may provide an important opportunity to identify untreated HCV and begin treatment for people who may find it difficult to access care in community settings, ensuring we do everything we can to support the STOP® program’s fight against hepatitis. Over a six-month period, hospitalized patients with untreated HCV documented in their charts will be identified and offered treatment while in hospital, when appropriate. A peer navigator (someone with lived or living experience with HCV) will help support patients by providing information, answering questions, and assisting with follow-up care after discharge, in line with the STOP® program’s approach to HCV.
02.
Funding
Study
Per-SVR PUBLICATIONS
Knowledge of hepatitis C and awareness of
reinfection risk among people who
successfully completed direct acting antiviral
therapy
Download PDF
Beyond direct-acting antiviral therapy:
Characterizing mental health conditions and
depressive symptoms among patients recently
treated for hepatitis C
Download PDF
World Hepatitis Day knowledge mobilization
HCV Collaborations and contributions
Informing Viral Hepatitis Elimination Efforts in British Columbia: What We Heard
The British Columbia (BC) Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the BC Hepatitis Network launched a multisectoral collaborative initiative in 2023 to identify priorities and actions required to achieve the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat in BC by 2030.