HCV Clearance Rates Below National Target Goals In Patients Coinfected With HIV, Study Finds

The American Journal of Managed Care (8/13, Bonavitacola) reports a study of seven health department jurisdictions found that “the rate of clearance or cure of HCV in those coinfected with HIV is still below the strategic national target goals, even though the rates are higher in this population compared with those with HCV alone.” Researchers observed that “the number of coinfected at baseline was 7227, which decreased to 6562 by the end of the analysis when excluding deceased individuals and individuals who were out of jurisdiction. Viral clearance increased from 31.6% at baseline to 42.4% by the end of the study, with viral testing also increasing slightly from 63.4% at baseline to 65.5%.” Study authors concluded, “While viral clearance rates above 40% in this coinfected group surpass those for monoinfected persons, these still fall short of the 80% goal set by national strategic guidelines.” The study was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.