Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41816953›Full record

ArticleJournal of viral hepatitis2026

Delivering Effective Hepatitis C Virus Treatment in an Embedded Primary Care Setting Within a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

Sabeen Shah, Nyashadzaishe Mafirakureva, Adam Trickey, Aliya Hasnain, Uzma Khan, Saira Khowaja, Hiba Ashraf, Naila Baig-Ansari, Matthew Hickman, Peter Vickerman and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of viral hepatitis, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Sabeen ShahGlobal Health Directorate, Indus Hospital & Health Network, Karachi, Pakistan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3659-4763
Nyashadzaishe MafirakurevaPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Adam TrickeyPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Aliya HasnainDepartment of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5178-3899
Uzma KhanInteractive Research and Development (IRD) Global, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3602-5950
Saira KhowajaInteractive Research and Development (IRD) Global, Singapore, Singapore.
Hiba AshrafGlobal Health Directorate, Indus Hospital & Health Network, Karachi, Pakistan.
Naila Baig-AnsariInteractive Research and Development (IRD) Global, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0335-056X
Matthew HickmanPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Peter VickermanPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8291-5890
Josephine G WalkerPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Aaron G LimPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3141-7496

Funding

NIHR NIHR133208Research EnglandUniversity of Bristol NIHR200877Wellcome Trust 220866/Z/20/ZWellcome Trust 222770/Z/21/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) endemic regions require accessible treatment interventions. Effectiveness and costs of a pilot HCV treatment programme were evaluated at an embedded primary care service within a tertiary care centre at Indus Hospital and Health Network in Karachi, Pakistan. Data on patients (n = 1288, median age 40 years) initiating direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment (October 2016 to December 2018) were extracted from hospital records. Eligible patients had chronic HCV, were treatment naïve, and without hepatic decompensation. Multivariable logistic regression analysed factors associated with treatment outcomes (not completing treatment, treatment completion without sustained virological response test at 12 weeks (SVR12) visit, and treatment completion with SVR12). Costs (2019 USD) were estimated using micro-costing from financial records and staff interviews. Among 1288 patients (63% women), 93% (1200/1288) completed treatment, and 74% (884/1200) attended SVR12 visit, with 98% (n = 870/884) cured. Compared with 0-29 year-olds, incomplete treatment was lower among 30-49 year-olds (aOR 0.47 [0.26-0.83]) and ≥ 50 year-olds (aOR 0.48 [0.24-0.93]). SVR12 non-attendance was higher for 24-week versus 12-week regimens (aOR: 3.46 [1.51-7.93]), but lower for patients with APRI scores 0.5-1.49 (aOR 0.69 [0.50-0.96]) and ≥ 1.5 (aOR 0.44 [0.24-0.78]) compared to 0-0.49. The mean treatment cost was $370.74 per patient, driven by clinic visits $271.80 (73.3%), labs $68.32 (18.4%), and DAAs $30.62 (8.3%). Overall, a high treatment completion and cure rate were achieved, with a low average cost per patient, indicating that this HCV treatment model can be affordable and may be considered for widescale treatment scale-up in Pakistan.

Indexed as

Antiviral AgentsHepatitis C, ChronicPrimary Health CareTertiary Care CentersAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHepacivirusHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleMiddle AgedAntiviral Agentsdirect‐acting antiviral treatmenthepatitis C virusloss to follow‐uplow middle income countries

Identifiers

PMID41816953
PMCPMC12980558

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.