Treating Hepatitis C Under Nearly Impossible Conditions

Even in a country like Australia, with a high standard of living and a socialised health system, the battle to eliminate hepatitis can be challenging. So what is it like in a country like India, where poverty, population pressures and lack of health funding and education make every medical challenge so much harder?

Dr Sunil Solomon is Associate Professor of Medicine at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He spoke at the Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference in Adelaide about his work on eliminating HCV among people in India who inject drugs.

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Clinical Trials Find Home at New RAH

Minister for Health, Jack Snelling, has confirmed today that most researchers undertaking existing clinical trials as well as new trials being planned, will be housed within the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH).

“Face to face patient consultations will continue to occur within the outpatient, inpatient or day treatment areas, as they do at the current RAH,” he said.

In addition, the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) will accommodate some cancer and cardiology researchers, whose work aligns with the existing SAHMRI “research pillars”

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New RAH Will Accommodate Clinical Trials – Health Minister

Research and clinical trials directly involving patients will have access to clinical settings and flexible workspaces at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), according to Minister for Health, Jack Snelling.

The Minister was responding to a letter from Hepatitis SA Executive Officer, Kerry Paterson, expressing concern over lack of space for clinical trials at the new RAH.

In a letter dated 22 August, he said work was “underway to ensure that research and clinical trials groups operating at the current RAH will be relocated to the new RAH, or to appropriate accommodation within the South Australian Health and Biomedical Precinct“.

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Will South Australians Miss Out on Future Cures?

It is a rare thing that a cure can be found for a chronic disease.

Yet such a thing did happen recently with the revolution in treatments for hepatitis C. The new Direct-Acting Antiviral medicines could cure over 90 per cent of those treated, in 8 to 24 weeks with minimal side effects. Compare this to previous treatment regimens of 24 to 48 weeks, often with severe side effects, and cure rates of only 50 to 80 per cent.

Such breakthroughs would not have been possible without concerted, meticulous research and coordinated clinical trials around the world. So it is disappointing to hear (see media report and  AMA article) that South Australia’s brand new state-of-the-art Royal Adelaide Hospital, will have no room for clinical trials.

It is believed that at best, only 15 per cent of the 350 current trials currently underway will be accommodated at the new RAH.

Leading medical experts and community organisations have voiced their concern over this lack of provision.

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