{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,9]],"date-time":"2026-06-09T13:05:04Z","timestamp":1781010304330,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"SMW Supporting Association","issue":"2122","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2011,5,23]],"date-time":"2011-05-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1306108800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Swiss Med Wkly"],"abstract":"<jats:p>BACKGROUND: In Switzerland, intravenous drug use  (IDU) accounts for 80% of newly acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections.  Early HCV treatment has the potential to interrupt the transmission chain and  reduce morbidity\/mortality due to decompensated liver cirrhosis and  hepatocellular carcinoma. Nevertheless, patients in drug substitution programs  are often insufficiently screened and treated.\n        OBJECTIVE\/METHODS: With the aim to improve HCV management in IDUs, we conducted a cross  sectional chart review in three opioid substitution programs in St. Gallen (125\u00a0methadone and 71 heroin recipients). Results were compared with another heroin  substitution program in Bern  (202 patients) and SCCS\/SHCS data.\n        RESULTS: Among  the methadone\/heroin recipients in St. Gallen, diagnostic workup of HCV was  better than expected: HCV\/HIV-status was unknown in only 1% (2\/196), HCV RNA was  not performed in 9% (13\/146) of anti-HCV-positives and the genotype missing in  15% (12\/78) of HCV RNA-positives. In those without spontaneous clearance (two  thirds), HCV treatment uptake was 23% (21\/91) (HIV-: 29% (20\/68), HIV+: 4%  (1\/23)), which was lower than in methadone\/heroin recipients and particularly  non-IDUs within the SCCS\/SHCS, but higher than in the, mainly psychiatrically  focussed, heroin substitution program in Bern (8%). Sustained virological  response (SVR) rates were comparable in all settings (overall: 50%, genotype 1:  35\u201340%, genotype 3: two thirds). In St. Gallen, the median delay from the  estimated date of infection (IDU start) to first diagnosis was 10\u00a0years and to  treatment was another 7.5 years.\n        CONCLUSIONS: Future  efforts need to focus on earlier HCV diagnosis and improvement of treatment  uptake among patients in drug substitution programs, particularly if patients  are HIV-co-infected. New potent drugs might facilitate the decision to initiate  treatment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4414\/smw.2011.13193","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,10,27]],"date-time":"2011-10-27T03:48:08Z","timestamp":1319687288000},"page":"w13193","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Management  of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in drug substitution programs"],"prefix":"10.57187","volume":"141","author":[{"given":"K","family":"Hensel-Koch","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"MC","family":"Thurnheer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"P","family":"Bruggmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"36756","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,5,23]]},"container-title":["Swiss Medical Weekly"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/smw.ch\/index.php\/smw\/article\/download\/1301\/1486","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/smw.ch\/index.php\/smw\/article\/download\/1301\/1487","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/smw.ch\/index.php\/smw\/article\/download\/1301\/1486","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,15]],"date-time":"2025-08-15T02:58:09Z","timestamp":1755226689000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/smw.ch\/index.php\/smw\/article\/view\/1301"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2011,5,23]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2122","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,5,23]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4414\/smw.2011.13193","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-3997"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-3997","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2011,5,23]]}}}