Only nine countries are on track to achieve elimination by 2030

According to the Polaris Observatory, only Iceland, Qatar, Australia, Georgia, Japan, Netherlands, Egypt, France, and Germany are on track to achieve the WHO HCV elimination targets by 2030. Of these, Iceland and Georgia are receiving their treatments for free from Gilead Sciences.  Most countries have not invested sufficiently in screening to diagnose those with HCV.  In addition, the average treatment rate remains well below 10%, which is required to reduce liver related deaths.  Also, many countries, including the United States, restrict treatment.  “With these barriers, we will not achieve the reduction in liver related deaths, diagnosed, and treatment targets in most countries in the world,” says Homie Razavi, the managing director at the CDA Foundation (Link).