Global health partnership to tackle hepatitis C in LMIC

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics, and the Treatment Action Group are joining forces to tackle a ‘silent’ public health injustice: the continuing disparities in access to diagnostics and treatment for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), home to 75 per cent of those living with this viral illness. The Hepatitis C Partnership for Control and Treatment, or Hepatitis C

PACT, will foster an enabling environment for testing and treatment for HCV in LMICs by rolling out all-oral cures, scaling up community-based testing to find the missing millions of undiagnosed people, and addressing domestic financial challenges that prevent the launch of national programmes. It will also tackle patent and access barriers that stand in the way of reaching World Health Organisation (WHO) goals of controlling hepatitis C by 2030. Through its cumulative expertise and independence, the new partnership will build collaborations with countries and community and civil society groups and develop evidence to support ambitious testand-treat programmes while addressing HCV financing obstacles.