ResearchProjects

Four times as prevalent in the US as HIV infection, hepatitis C is already the leading cause of liver failure and liver transplantation, the disease burden and health care costs will continue to rise in the coming decades, and the 1.5-2.0 million people who inject illicit drugs are the most severely affected. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, safety, effectiveness, and cost of an accessible care intervention for engaging people who inject illicit drugs in hepatitis C care.  To end the hepatitis C epidemic, data are needed on effective methods to provide successful antiviral therapy to the core population affected by the epidemic.

Abstract on NIH RePORTER

Kapadia SN, Aponte-Melendez Y, Rodriguez A, Pai M, Eckhardt BJ, Marks KM, Fong C, Mateu-Gelabert P (2023).
“Treated like a human being”: Perspectives of people who inject drugs attending low-threshold HCV treatment at a syringe service program in New York City
Harm Reduction Journal, 20 (1), 95. doi: 10.1186/s12954-023-00831-9. PMCID: PMC10375754.

Kapadia SN, Eckhardt BJ, Leff JA, Fong C, Mateu-Gelabert P, Marks KM, Aponte-Melendez Y, Schackman BR (2022).
Cost of providing co-located hepatitis C treatment at a syringe service program exceeds potential reimbursement: Results from a clinical trial
Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 5, 100109. doi: 10.1016/j.dadr.2022.100109. PMCID: PMC9836210.

Eckhardt B, Kapadia SN, Mateu-Gelabert P, Pai M, Fong C, Aponte-Melendez Y, Marks KM (2022).
Rapid treatment initiation for hepatitis C in young people who inject drugs: The seek, test, and rapid treatment randomized trial
Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 9 (7), ofac225. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac225. PMCID: PMC9272437.

Eckhardt B, Mateu-Gelabert P, Aponte-Melendez Y, Fong C, Kapadia S, Smith M, Edlin BR, Marks KM (2022).
Accessible hepatitis C care for people who inject drugs: A randomized clinical trial
JAMA Internal Medicine, 182 (5), 494-502. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.0170. PMCID: PMC8922207.

Aponte-Melendez Y, Mateu-Gelabert P, Fong C, Eckhardt B, Kapadia S, Marks K (2021).
The impact of COVID-19 on people who inject drugs in New York City: Increased risk and decreased access to services
Harm Reduction Journal, 18 (1), 118. doi: 10.1186/s12954-021-00568-3. PMCID: PMC8611635.

Fong C, Mateu-Gelabert P, Ciervo C, Eckhardt B, Aponte-Melendez Y, Kapadia S, Marks K (2021).
Medical provider stigma experienced by people who use drugs (MPS-PWUD): Development and validation of a scale among people who currently inject drugs in New York City
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 221, 108589. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108589. PMCID: PMC8029599.