Innovative research supports national work to eliminate the devastating hepatitis C virus among drug users

Ryan Buchanan at Westminster

A consultant doctor from Southampton, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has met with MPs to look at ways to eliminate hepatitis C in people who use drugs.

Dr Ryan Buchanan started work a decade ago on the Isle of Wight, mapping transmission of the infection and researching ways that pharmacies and other health professionals could treat hard-to-engage communities with hepatitis C – in this case, people who inject drugs. He was supported in his work by the Applied Research Collaboration Wessex (NIHR ARC Wessex).

Hepatitis C (Hep-C) is a devastating virus that causes thousands of deaths a year, and the World Health Organisation has committed to eliminating the virus over the next decade.

If left untreated, Hepatitis C can lead to scarring of the liver, liver failure and even liver cancer. People who share needles with lots of partners to inject drugs are at a high risk of getting Hepatitis C. Often, those communities are part of a network that is hard for health care services to reach.

Dr Buchanan helped to draw up a report - England to eliminate Hep-C -recommending what is needed to achieve and maintain hepatitis C elimination in England, and supported its launch with the Hepatitis C Trust in Westminster ahead of World Hepatitis Day on July 28^th.

Dr Buchanan’s research has contributed to the content of the national report. He presented new research at an international conference in the Netherlands this year that shows the value of using people with a lived experience of Hepatitis C to support infected patients with treatment. It suggests targeted interventions could work in helping, ultimately, to eliminate Hep-C.

Ryan says:

“There is reasonable evidence to suggest that Hepatitis C treatment can be a catalyst for positive behavioural change and may be associated with fewer risk-taking behaviours or the cessation of drug use altogether.”

Dr Ryan Buchanan works at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, and started his PhD supported by NIHR ARC Wessex in 2014 and has gone on to work on projects to eliminate Hep-C in Southampton, and is now a consultant liver specialist, balancing his time between research and treating people.

Notes for editors:

Ryan Buchanan is available for an interview, and his recent paper with research colleagues from Southampton, Brighton and Melbourne in Australia is available here: Injecting network structure determines the most efficient strategy to achieve Hepatitis C elimination in people who inject

drugs

If you wish to contact Ryan to arrange an interview, please email: Jamie.Stevenson@soton.ac.uk from Communications at NIHR ARC Wessex

To contact the Hepatitis C Trust, contact james.hammond@hepctrust.org.uk

The Hepatitis C Trust is a charity dedicated to eliminating hepatitis C in the UK by 2030.

Everyone has a right to access health services. For some people, this may be more difficult. We champion the right of every person at risk of hepatitis C in the UK to receive effective testing, treatment and care. By providing education and support in community, prison and healthcare settings, we work to make sure that no one is left behind in the race to eliminate hepatitis C.

The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:

·      Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;

·      Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;

·      Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;

·      Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;

·      Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;

·      Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.

NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.

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