# Elimination of HCV and related liver disease among HIV-infected and -uninfected people who inject drugs

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $687,760

## Abstract

Project summary
Since recent innovations in hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment make it possible to eradicate HCV
infection in nearly every individual, the World Health Organization is calling for global HCV
elimination by 2030. Elimination means reducing incident infection by 90% and HCV-related
mortality by 65% from a 2015 benchmark. However, a high incidence of new infections and
reinfections from the expanding opioid epidemic and historic low HCV treatment uptake might
threaten HCV elimination among people who inject drugs (PWID), the primary HCV risk group in
the USA. In this grant we asking both whether targets are being met and which subpopulations
are being left befind focusing on Baltimore PWID, especially those coinfected with HIV.
For more than 25 years, we have investigated HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and liver disease in
a community-based cohort of PWID (called ALIVE) and now the cohort is the ideal setting to
accomplish our aims which are: (1) to evaluate the trajectory of decline in HCV viremia among a
community-based cohort of in- and out-of care PWID in the era of all oral HCV therapy and
assess whether this trajectory differs for those who are HIV/HCV co-infected and HCV
monoinfected; (2) to estimate the contribution of incidence, treatment, and reinfection to HCV
viremia changes among HIV-infected and -uninfected Baltimore PWIDs; and (3) to assess the
population impact of expanded HCV treatment on liver disease outcomes including progression
and emergence of different types of liver disease in HIV-infected compared to uninfected PWID.
We have detailed, longitudinal measures of liver disease in the ALIVE cohort. Now is the right
time to accomplish these aims so that we can assess if Baltimore (and possibly other urban
areas in the USA) are on track for HCV elimination and to help guide those future efforts in time
to adjust public health practices to ensure the goals are met by 2030.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10319551
- **Project number:** 5R01DA048063-04
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Shruti H Mehta
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $687,760
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-01-15 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10319551

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10319551, Elimination of HCV and related liver disease among HIV-infected and -uninfected people who inject drugs (5R01DA048063-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10319551. Licensed CC0.

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