News

The EU recently approved glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Maviret), an eight-week direct-acting antiviral regimen, which offers people with hepatitis C the fastest treatment option available, giving European health systems a new tool in aiding the World Health Organization's goal of eliminating the virus by 2030.

The European Commission has approved glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Maviret) for acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, making it the only therapy approved in the European Union for both acute and chronic HCV and allowing clinicians to test and treat patients at the point of diagnosis. Mudra Kapoor, MD, discusses the phase 3 data and the treatment's potential role for greater HCV elimination.

An estimated 172,000 infants acquired hepatitis B virus through mother-to-child transmission in the WHO African region in 2022, and combining birth-dose vaccination with maternal antiviral prophylaxis could cut this burden by more than 86%. Peyton Thompson, MD, MSCR, discusses the barriers to eliminating vertical transmission of hepatitis B, and strategies to reduce the coverage gap.

Despite competing national crises drawing attention elsewhere, experts warn that the ongoing H5N1 avian influenza outbreak in birds, cattle, and humans in the United States highlights critical gaps in surveillance, worker protections, and pandemic preparedness that must be addressed to prevent a future pandemic.

Arthur Robin Williams, MD, MBE

A Rutgers Health study in Health Affairs found substantial growth in long-acting injectable buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid use disorder from 2021 to 2024, but with sharp state-level disparities driven by Medicaid policy differences, with fewer than 1% of buprenorphine prescribed as injectable in some states versus nearly 13% in others.