WHO issues guidelines for hepatitis C treatment

MANILA, Philippines - The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first guidelines for the treatment of hepatitis C, a chronic liver disease that affects up to 150 million people worldwide.

WHO said the guidelines for the screening, care and treatment of persons with hepatitis C infection coincide with the availability of more effective and safer oral hepatitis medicine, and the promise of more new medicine in the next few years.

“The WHO recommendations are based on a thorough review of the best and latest scientific evidence,” said Stefan Wiktor, head of WHO’s Global Hepatitis Program.

He said the guidelines aim to help countries improve treatment and care for hepatitis and reduce deaths from liver cancer and cirrhosis.

WHO intends to work with countries to introduce the guidelines as part of their national treatment program while the organization provides assistance to make new treatments available and affordable.           

WHO senior advisor for essential medicine and health products department Peter Beyer said hepatitis C treatment is currently unaffordable to most patients in need.

“Experience has shown that a multi-pronged strategy is required to improve access to treatment, including creating demand for treatment. The development of WHO guidelines is a key step in this process,” he said.

The guidelines comprise nine key recommendations that include approaches to increase the number of people screened for hepatitis C infection, advice on how to mitigate liver damage for those infected and how to select and provide appropriate treatments for chronic hepatitis C infection.

On its website, WHO defines hepatitis as an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a viral infection. There are five main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.

“These five types are of greatest concern because of the burden of illness and death they cause and the potential for outbreaks and epidemic spread. In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and, together, are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer,” WHO said.

Hepatitis A and E are typically caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water.