Hepatitis C treatment in a Canadian federal correctional population: Preliminary feasibility and outcomes

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health concern in Canada, which now mostly affects marginalized populations, including correctional inmates. These populations ‐ until recently ‐ have largely been excluded from HCV pharmacotherapy. We report preliminary data on HCV treatment in a federal correctional population sample in British Columbia (BC), using Pegetron combination therapy. HCV RNA results are presented at week 12 of treatment, a strong predictor of treatment outcome. Just over four‐fifths (80.8%) of inmate patients had no detectable HCV RNA at week 12; inmates with genotype 2 and 3 fared better than those with genotype 1. These preliminary results suggest that HCV treatment is feasible and promises to be efficacious in correctional populations.

Citation

Farley, J., Vasdev, S., Fischer, B., Rehm, J. and Haydon, E. (2005), "Hepatitis C treatment in a Canadian federal correctional population: Preliminary feasibility and outcomes", International Journal of Prisoner Health, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 13-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449200500157044