TY - JOUR
T1 - Hepatitis C and substance use
T2 - New treatments and novel approaches
AU - North, Carol S.
AU - Hong, Barry A.
AU - Kerr, Thomas
PY - 2012/5/1
Y1 - 2012/5/1
N2 - Purpose of Review: To provide an update on new treatment approaches for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and substance use. This issue is of extreme importance for HCV, as many patients have substance-use histories. Recent Findings: Recent emergence of two new protease inhibitors, boceprevir and telaprevir, to enhance the modern treatment of HCV have boosted the sustained virologic response rate to about 80%, a 30% increase over prior standard of care with interferon and ribavirin. Unfortunately, many providers are reluctant to treat patients with substance-use histories unless they have demonstrated abstinence for at least 6 months, and there is a spoken and unspoken bias against these patients. Emerging new studies have shown that even current injection drug users can be treated successfully with results comparable to patients who are abstinent and those with no drug-use histories, especially with attention to the patient's substance use and other psychiatric problems. Summary: Newer treatment approaches for HCV will help many more patients than ever before to overcome the virus. Changed attitudes and innovative approaches to patients with substance-use histories are needed to bring these scientific advances to this segment of the population of patients with HCV.
AB - Purpose of Review: To provide an update on new treatment approaches for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and substance use. This issue is of extreme importance for HCV, as many patients have substance-use histories. Recent Findings: Recent emergence of two new protease inhibitors, boceprevir and telaprevir, to enhance the modern treatment of HCV have boosted the sustained virologic response rate to about 80%, a 30% increase over prior standard of care with interferon and ribavirin. Unfortunately, many providers are reluctant to treat patients with substance-use histories unless they have demonstrated abstinence for at least 6 months, and there is a spoken and unspoken bias against these patients. Emerging new studies have shown that even current injection drug users can be treated successfully with results comparable to patients who are abstinent and those with no drug-use histories, especially with attention to the patient's substance use and other psychiatric problems. Summary: Newer treatment approaches for HCV will help many more patients than ever before to overcome the virus. Changed attitudes and innovative approaches to patients with substance-use histories are needed to bring these scientific advances to this segment of the population of patients with HCV.
KW - boceprevir
KW - hepatitis C
KW - substance abuse/dependence
KW - telaprevir
KW - treatment outcomes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84859435220&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/YCO.0b013e328351f85a
DO - 10.1097/YCO.0b013e328351f85a
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22395769
AN - SCOPUS:84859435220
SN - 0951-7367
VL - 25
SP - 206
EP - 212
JO - Current opinion in psychiatry
JF - Current opinion in psychiatry
IS - 3
ER -