Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42358127›Full record

ArticleLiver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver2026

Impact of Antiviral Therapy Scale-Up Among People Who Inject Drugs in Scotland: Regional Evidence of Hepatitis C Virus Elimination.

Norah E Palmateer, Pantelis Samartsidis, Christopher Biggam, Andrew McAuley, Scott A McDonald, John Dillon, Stephen T Barclay, Samantha J Shepherd, Rory N Gunson, Monica Desai and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Impact of Antiviral Therapy Scale-Up Among People Who Inject Drugs in Scotland: Regional Evidence of Hepatitis C Virus Elimination.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Norah E PalmateerGlasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
Pantelis SamartsidisMRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Christopher BiggamGlasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
Andrew McAuleyGlasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
Scott A McDonaldIncognita Data Science, Trento, Italy.
John DillonUniversity of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
Stephen T BarclayGlasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.
Samantha J ShepherdWest of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, Glasgow, UK.
Rory N GunsonWest of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, Glasgow, UK.
Monica DesaiUK Health Security Agency, London, UK.
Duncan McCormickPublic Health Scotland, Glasgow, UK.
Daniela De AngelisMRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Matthew HickmanUniversity of Bristol, Bristol, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9864-459X
Sharon J HutchinsonGlasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.

Funding

National Institute for Health and Care Research RP-PG-0616-20 008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExpansion of highly effective direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for people who inject drugs (PWID) is regarded as essential to achieve hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination. A decade since the introduction of DAA treatment, we aimed to assess its roll-out and associated impact in reducing HCV prevalence among PWID in Scotland, as part of a treatment-as-prevention (TasP) strategy.

methodsNational bio-behavioural surveys of PWID (recruited at services providing injecting equipment) between 2010 and 2023 (N = 16 973), involving a questionnaire and blood spot sample (tested for HCV-antibodies and HCV-RNA), were used to examine treatment uptake and HCV viraemia prevalence (overall and among those with antibodies) for Tayside, Greater Glasgow & Clyde (GGC), and Rest of Scotland (RoS). We used a flexible Bayesian logistic regression model to estimate HCV prevalence and probability of having achieved an 80% reduction in HCV prevalence since 2015.

resultsBetween 2015-16 and 2022-23, uptake of DAAs (ever) increased 2.7-, 5.6- and 4.5-fold to 95%, 78% and 76% in Tayside, GGC and RoS, respectively. Over this period, observed viraemia prevalence declined to 4%, 16% and 15% (involving 86%, 65% and 53% decline) in Tayside, GGC and RoS, respectively. In Tayside, modelled viraemia prevalence among those with antibodies declined from 62% in 2015 to 11% in 2023, with a 53% probability that the WHO proxy target of an 80% reduction in HCV prevalence was met.

conclusionOur study provides real-world evidence for TasP, demonstrating that HCV elimination among PWID is feasible through community-wide scale-up of DAAs and population-level monitoring surveys.

Indexed as

Antiviral AgentsHepatitis CSubstance Abuse, IntravenousAdultBayes TheoremFemaleHepacivirusHepatitis C AntibodiesHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceRNA, ViralScotlandAntiviral AgentsHepatitis C AntibodiesRNA, Viralantiviral agentscross‐sectional studiesdrug usersHepacivirusprevalencepreventive medicine

Identifiers

PMID42358127
PMCPMC13305692

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.