Hepatitis C Testing and Treatment

Pharmacy-led hepatitis C pathways effectively provided testing and treatment for people who use drugs, detected more cases than standard care, and demonstrated feasibility. Community pharmacies detected 7.8% more hepatitis C cases compared with standard care in one study. Pharmacist-led hepatitis C care was the most expensive model in some comparisons but remained cost-effective. Hepatitis C treatment completion rates in pharmacy-based programmes ranged from 49% to 86%. Implementation barriers for pharmacy-based hepatitis C care included eligibility determination, reimbursement issues, restrictive legislation, and limited patient knowledge or documentation. None of the hepatitis C studies reported excluding participants because of active substance use.