Bindu Anand Balani, MD: Eradicating Hepatitis C Virus by 2030

The advancements in care for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the last 5-10 years has made it realistic that the disease could be eradicated by 2030, a goal that once seemed unattainable for many in the field.

The major milestone that spurred this moment came in recent years with approvals of direct-acting antivirals (DAA), a relatively new class of drugs that have transformed HCV care.

With DAAs in hand, many patients with HCV are cleared from the disease relatively quickly.

However, it must be a true global push to really achieve the goal of eradicating the disease in the next 8 years.

In this episode of DocTalk, Bindu Anand Balani, MD, Hackensack Meridian Health discusses the momentous movement toward eradication in recent years and whether or not this is a realistic goal worldwide.

One important thing that must happen in order to achieve this goal is to really enhance screenings, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Balani said screenings and catching the virus early, with the addition of DAA treatment, can go a long way toward eradication.

She also said with much of the attention focusing off of HCV, it is an exciting time for hepatitis B virus research, with several drugs in the pipeline in early phase trials that could make an impact in the coming years.