Barriers and facilitators to hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs: A qualitative study

2012 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant global public health problem. The burden of HCV infection is concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID), with an estimated five million PWID living with chronic HCV in the European Region. HCV antiviral treatment with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin is the standard care for chronic HCV, with a 50-85% cure rate depending on genotype. Research indicates that PWID are interested in HCV treatment uptake and have rates of viral clearance comparable with other populations. Current injectors are not precluded from HCV treatment access in a number of European countries, yet uptake rates are substandard.