Management of Patients With Hepatitis C in a Public Health Care Setting: The Punjab Model

Summary

Background and Aims: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) infection in Punjab, India is 3.29%, with an estimated burden of around 650,000 viremic chronic HCV (CHC) patients. The Mukh Mantri Punjab Hepatitis C Relief Fund (MMPHCRF) was launched in June 2016 to provide free treatment to all CHC aiming to eliminate HCV from Punjab. The study assessed the feasibility of decentralized care and efficacy and safety of 12 or 24 weeks of sofosbuvir (SOF) + ledipasvir (LDV) or SOF + daclatasvir (DCV) ± ribavirin (RBV) in the treatment of CHC patients in a public health care setting.

Timeline

Start

2016-06-18

Primary completion

2020-12

Completion

2020-12

Publications

• Premkumar M, Gupta E, Sandhu A, Sharma P, Nain J, Taneja S, Verma N, De A, Duseja A, Grover GS, Dhiman RK. Impact of Resistance Associated Substitutions and Predictors of Treatment Failure Following Direct-acting Antiviral Therapy in a Viral Hepatitis C Elimination Cohort. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2025 Nov-Dec;15(6):102601. doi: 10.1016/j.jceh.2025.102601. Epub 2025 May 28.
• Premkumar M, Dhiman RK, Duseja A, Mehtani R, Taneja S, Gupta E, Gupta P, Sandhu A, Sharma P, Rathi S, Verma N, Kulkarni AV, Bhujade H, Chaluvashetty SB, Kalra N, Grover GS, Nain J, Reddy KR. Recompensation of Chronic Hepatitis C-Related Decompensated Cirrhosis Following Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy: Prospective Cohort Study From a Hepatitis C Virus Elimination Program. Gastroenterology. 2024 Dec;167(7):1429-1445. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.08.018. Epub 2024 Aug 23.

Drugs

Indications