Peter Treitler, PhD1,2; Stephen Crystal, PhD1,3,4; Joel Cantor, ScD1; et alOriginal Investigation Substance Use and Addiction March 25, 2024 Key Points ​Question  Is implementation of an emergency department (ED)–based peer recovery support program for opioid overdose associated with improvements in initiation of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)? Findings  In this cohort study of 12 046 patients treated for nonfatal opioid overdose, those treated in EDs that implemented peer support were significantly ..read more

Opponents of SSPs argue that they enable drug use and make neighborhoods less safe. However, when implemented according to best practices, there is actually plenty of evidence to the contrary. Dr. Jerome Adams and Mazen Saleh  Opinion contributors USA TODAY It can seem counterintuitive to provide clean syringes to individuals who inject drugs. After all, why make it easier to consume illicit substances that are increasingly resulting in overdoses? In the fight against fentanyl, however, a clean syringe can be a lifesaving connection. We might not be able to stop ..read more

by Manisha Krishnan, Vice News ​A growing number of academics are openly discussing their past and present drug use in an attempt to reduce stigma and help overcome addiction. When drug policy researcher Jean-Sébastien Fallu saw a recent op-ed in the Atlantic argue that destigmatizing drug use has been “a profound mistake,” he was furious.  The piece said “cultural disapproval of harmful behavior can be a potent force for protecting public health and safety” and that we need “more consistent rejection of drug use, not less.”   Fallu, 50, an associate professor at Un ..read more

​Thousands die from hepatitis C every year, even though we have a nearly foolproof cure. A new plan would change that. By Jonathan Cohn   Nov 26, 2023, 08:00 AM EST  |Updated Nov 26, 2023   HUFF POST Dying from hepatitis C is a notoriously miserable way to go. The virus attacks your liver ― in many cases, destroying its ability to make proteins and filter blood. You might not notice at first, because it can inflict damage gradually and “silently” until finally you start to feel symptoms that could include fatigue, jaundice, mental disorientatio ..read more

November 11, 2023                               HC P LIVE Abigail Brooks, MA                               Conference|American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases                   Tatyana Kushner, MD, MSCE, sat down with HCPLive to discuss the White House hepatitis C elimination plan. In an interview with HCPLive during The Liver Meeting 2023 from the American Association ..read more

News/Press SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 Bill Text (PDF) Washington (September 26, 2023) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security and a member of the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, along with Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), today announced the reintroduction of the Eliminating Opioid-Related Infectious Diseases Act, bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) ongoin ..read more

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America recently released updated guidance on testing, treating, and managing hepatitis C. The updated guidance, published online in Clinical Infectious Disease on July 23, 2023, is focused on recommendations for addressing nonadherence; treatment options for children as young as 3 years old; hepatitis C virus (HCV)–positive organ donation; eligibility changes for a simplified treatment approach; and therapy in vulnerable populations, including incarcerated persons. Treatment nonadher ..read more

Tuesday, September 26, 2023 Designation, new research program and update to NIH mission are actions to ensure inclusion of people with disabilities. Today, Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D., director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities for research supported by the National Institutes of Health. The decision was made in consultation with Robert Otto Valdez, Ph.D., the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, after careful consideration of a report&n ..read more

by Elana Gotkine, August 22, 2023 ​ In a clinical practice guideline issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and published online Aug. 17 in Obstetrics & Gynecology, recommendations are presented for hepatitis B and C virus screening in pregnancy, for management of patients with infection, and for vaccination. Brenna L. Hughes, M.D., from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and colleagues developed guidelines for pregnant or postpartum women and individuals who screen positive for viral hepatitis infection. The authors recommen ..read more

​July 26, 20232:33 PM ET By Bec Roldan  How do viruses do their job of infecting humans? Some of them are experts at evading the immune system so that it won't knock them out. Take hepatitis C, a sneaky and potentially deadly viral infection of the liver that is transmitted by contact with human blood – for example, through needles, sex and childbirth. Scientists have known for a long time that hep C can hide from our immune system. While the immune system might attack the invading virus at first, leading to mild symptoms like fever or fatigue, the virus eventually hides so the ..read more