An estimated 185 million people, 3% of the world's population, have been infected with HCV.1 An estimated 399,000 people died from HCV in 2016.2
The primary objective of anti-HCV treatment is the sustained virologic response (SVR), defined as undetectable HCV RNA by a sensitive test 12 or 24 weeks after the end of treatment.3 With increasing numbers of patients achieving SVR following treatment, eradication of HCV is being discussed for the first time.4
The need for a rapid HCV viral load test with flexibility to adapt to any throughput requirements and random access for urgent samples is greater than ever.
An ultrasensitive, easy to use HCV viral load test with the flexibility to adapt to any throughput is critical as a companion test for newly developed drug regimens.
(1) Mohd Hanafiah K, et al. Global epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection: new estimates of age-specific antibody to HCV seroprevalence. Hepatology 2013; 57(4): 1333-42.
(2)WHO. Hepatitis C. Accessed Jul 2021. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c
(3) Ghany MG, et al. Diagnosis, management, and treatment of hepatitis C: an update. Hepatology 2009 Apr;49 (4):1335-74.
(4)Graham CS, et al. A Path to Eradication of Hepatitis C in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries. Antiviral Res. 2015 Jan 20; pii: S0166-3542(15)00005-4.