Hepatitis C treatment outcome among people in prison: The SToP-C study

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) burden is higher among people in prison given high prevalence of injecting drug use. This study evaluated direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment outcome in prisons.

The Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners with hepatitis C (SToP-C) study enrolled individuals incarcerated in four Australian prisons (2017-2019). Participants with detectable HCV RNA were offered sofosbuvir-velpatasvir for 12 weeks. Sustained virological response (SVR) was assessed in intention-to-treat (ITT; participants commencing treatment and due for SVR assessment before study close) and per-protocol (PP; participants with documented treatment completion and SVR assessment) populations.

Among 799 participants with HCV, 324 (41%) commenced treatment (94% male; median age, 32 years; median duration of incarceration, 9 months). In ITT population (n = 310), 201 had documented treatment completion (65% [95% CI: 59-70]), and 137 achieved SVR (ITT-SVR: 44% [95% CI: 39-50]). In PP population (n = 143), 137 achieved SVR (PP-SVR: 96% [95% CI: 91-98]). Six participants had quantifiable HCV RNA at SVR assessment from treatment failure (n = 2) or reinfection (n = 4). Release or inter-prison transfer was common reasons for no documented treatment completion (n = 106/109 [97%]) and no SVR assessment (n = 57/58 [98%]). In ITT analysis, longer incarceration was associated with increased SVR (adjusted OR per month 1.03 [95% CI: 1.01-1.04]).

Among participants who completed DAA treatment and were assessed for SVR, treatment outcome was consistent with non-prison clinical studies. However, most individuals did not complete treatment or lacked study-documented treatment outcome due to release or transfer. Strategies to accommodate dynamic prisoner populations are required to ensure continuity of HCV care, including treatment completion and post-treatment care.