Gilead Sciences and the Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH) have just decided to release the sixth edition “Gilead Grants for Microelimination Projects in the Epidemiology of Hepatitis C and Hepatitis D” Continue to advance efforts to eliminate and control viral hepatitis.

As Gilead explained, Spain is among the countries leading the way in eliminating hepatitis C. (VHC), potentially becoming one of the first in the world to achieve this. Since the implementation of the Hepatitis C Strategic Plan, more than 164,502 patients have been treated in Spain, with a cure rate of approximately 95%, demonstrating the efforts made to achieve the WHO goals of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030 and changing lives these patients.

However, to achieve them it is necessary to implement initiatives aimed at improving prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and comprehensive management of patients with C virus.

Added to this is chronic hepatitis D, which affects patients infected with the hepatitis B virus and is associated with faster progression of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, as well as a higher risk of liver cancer and death. Today, Gilead explained, there are still many patients who remain undiagnosed, due in part to limited knowledge about the disease, low availability of reliable and automated diagnostic methods that are easy to implement in microbiology services, and a historical lack of effective methods diagnostics treatment, making it less likely that doctors will conduct tests to identify diseases where there is unmet medical need and conduct research projects in this area.

For this reason, initiatives such as those carried out Gilead Sciences. In this edition, a total of 23 projects were assessed, of which 14 received scholarships totaling €350,000. Of the winning projects, distributed among Catalonia, Andalusia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Aragon and Castile and Leon, seven are dedicated to the diagnosis and referral of patients with hepatitis C, two to the study of the epidemiology of hepatitis delta. and five. They concern the diagnosis of all viral hepatitis, in accordance with the awareness-raising work carried out in Spain to implement this comprehensive diagnosis.

Dr. Manuel Romero, AEEH President, emphasized “the importance of this type of collaboration and continuity, which underscores the importance of public-private collaboration between Gilead and AEEH, which is fundamental to achieving one of our nation’s important public health goals.” country, for example, eliminating hepatitis C.” In a similar vein, he noted that “the idea of ​​launching research initiatives that immediately translate the benefits of proactive detection, improved care, and access to treatment to the general population is unparalleled in clinical practice. Therefore we are very happy, proud and satisfied. “We believe this is one of the best ways to promote research and public health and achieve goals that would otherwise be unattainable.”

According to Marisa Alvarez, executive director. Medical Director, Gilead Spain: “Gilead’s strong commitment to patients shows us a clear path: supporting our scientific and research community. Always adheres to the recommendations of scientific societies and institutions, cooperates with regional eradication plans and specialists in achieving the goal of eradicating this disease. Through six editions of this fellowship program, we have been able to implement various local projects that help us diagnose and refer patients with hepatitis C, and further strengthen our commitment for another year increasing knowledge of the epidemiology of hepatitis delta, is an unmet medical need. With these 14 new projects, the collaboration between Gilead and AEEH has now launched 61 initiatives aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients with viral hepatitis over the past six years.”

Despite this, despite these efforts, there are still more than 76,500 people with HCV in the general population, of whom 22,500 have active HCV infection and are undiagnosed. “To achieve this goal, it is necessary to use every opportunity to diagnose patients, with a particular focus on those initiatives that aim to improve prevention, early detection, treatment and comprehensive management. It is important to act at the local level to global influence thanks to improved diagnosis and treatment of patients with viral hepatitis. In this way, patients can be treated at the initial stages of the disease and thus prevent its development and complexity of the approach, as well as prevent transmission and possible new infections,” Gilead explained.

In the six editions since the competition began in 2018, the collaboration between Gilead and AEEH has funded 61 projects that contributed to the elimination of hepatitis C in Spain, with a total grant value of €1,465,000, of which six were awarded scholarships in 2018 , seven in 2019, nine in 2020, ten in 2021, fifteen in 2022 and fourteen in 2023 in 10 autonomous communities and covering different patient groups and healthcare sectors.