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In Puglia in 2018, of 871 subjects screened, 38% had HCV antibodies (HCVAb). Despite sustained virologic response at week 12 Sustained virologic response (SVR12) rates &gt;95%, addiction centers in Italy are not allowed to prescribe direct\u2010acting antivirals (DAA).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>To increase testing and linkage to care a dedicated program including \u201cad hoc\u201d transportation and fast\u2010track access to care was offered to PWUD from Puglia.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Over 12\u00a0months, 1,470 individuals seen at 15 Services for Dependence (SERDs) underwent screening. For HCVAb positive, a fast\u2010track evaluation was offered at our Hepatology Unit. Patients were subsequently taken to their pharmacists to receive the prescribed DAA regimen. Treatment and adherence were supervised by SERDs physicians, SVR12 assessed at our unit. The scalability of the process was based on both, number of patients screened in our region in 2018, and number of PWUD diagnosed and treated at our center during 2018\u20132019.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Of 1,470 individuals screened, 634 (43.1%) tested HCVAb positive. Overall, 231 were RNA positive, 54% of whom on opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and 32% with cirrhosis. Median interval between RNA assessment and treatment start was 22\u00a0days (0\u2013300). Patients received 12\u2010week sofosbuvir\/velpatasvir regimen without Ribavirin; in 220 patients who completed treatment, SVR12 was 98.6%. Among GT3, SVR12 was 98%. No re\u2010infection was observed. Improvements in screening, and linkage to care were registered.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>A PWUD\u2010tailored service led to HCV care cascade improvement and high SVR12 rates. Despite history of drug addiction, social instability and logistic barriers, micro\u2010elimination programs providing dedicated care are key drivers of success.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/ueg2.12156","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,26]],"date-time":"2021-10-26T08:10:25Z","timestamp":1635235825000},"page":"1109-1118","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Increased Hepatitis C virus screening, diagnosis and linkage to care rates among people who use drugs through a patient\u2010centered program from Italy"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2600-3555","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra","family":"Mangia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Liver Unit IRCCS \u201cCasa Sollievo della Sofferenza\u201d  San Giovanni Rotondo Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Franca","family":"Rina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Addiction Department AS Matera  Matera Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonio","family":"Canosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Addiction Department ASREM Molise  Termoli Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valeria","family":"Piazzolla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liver Unit IRCCS \u201cCasa Sollievo della Sofferenza\u201d  San Giovanni Rotondo Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Maddalena","family":"Squillante","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liver Unit IRCCS \u201cCasa Sollievo della Sofferenza\u201d  San Giovanni Rotondo Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ernesto","family":"Agostinacchio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Territorial Internal Medicine ASL Bari  Bari Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanna","family":"Cocomazzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Liver Unit IRCCS \u201cCasa Sollievo della Sofferenza\u201d  San Giovanni Rotondo Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Egidio","family":"Visaggi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Internal Medicine Ospedale \u201cM. 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