Only 5% of hepatitis B patients received antiviral therapy in 2016

In The News

April 06, 2018
Closing the Gap in Managing Viral Hepatitis Infections in Refugees and Immigrants

HBV Treatment Fails to Meet Global Targets

by Molly Walker, Staff Writer

MedPage Today March 26, 2018

Only 5% of hepatitis B patients received antiviral therapy in 2016

Only an estimated one in 20 patients with hepatitis B worldwide received antiviral therapy for their illness in 2016, a modeling study found.

Of the estimated 292 million people living with hepatitis B virus (HBV), there were 94 million individuals eligible for treatment, but only 4.8 million (5%) actually received it, reported The Polaris Observatory Collaborators. Moreover, less than half of infants received timely birth dose vaccination, and less than 1% of mothers with a high viral load received antiviral therapy in 2016, the authors wrote in the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

MedPage Today Full Article:
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/hepatitis/72004

Lancet Study:
Global prevalence, treatment, and prevention of hepatitis B virus infection in 2016: a modelling study
The 69th World Health Assembly approved the Global Health Sector Strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. Although no virological cure exists for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, existing therapies to control viral replication and prophylaxis to minimise mother-to-child transmission make elimination of HBV feasible. We aimed to estimate the national, regional, and global prevalence of HBsAg in the general population and in the population aged 5 years in 2016, as well as coverage of prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment.