Hepatitis C is on track to be eliminated across England by the NHS by 2025. 

It comes after a pioneering drug deal and campaign found and helped people at risk, health chiefs have said. 

Now NHS England has said that the measures are helping to dramatically cut deaths five years ahead of global targets.

A five-year contract worth almost £1 billion to buy antiviral drugs for patients has seen deaths from Hepatitis C – including liver disease and cancer – fall by 35%.

A set of dedicated  “Find And Treat” programmes are helping the NHS drive down Hepatitis C cases among vulnerable communities such as the homeless, who may suffer worse outcomes than the general population as they do not have regular contact with health services.

The Argus:

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said the NHS is “leading the world” in the drive to save lives and eliminate Hepatitis C while also tackling “significant” health inequality.

He said: “Thanks to targeted screening and because the NHS has a proven track record of striking medicine agreements that give patients access to the latest drugs, we are on track to beat global targets and become the first country to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2030 – which will be a landmark achievement.”

One of the charities behind the Find And Treat outreach programmes, St Mungo's aims to ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against Hepatitis C.

Seeing specialist teams provide same-day screenings along with help to complete a full course of treatment.

The homeless are at a higher risk of contracting Hepatitis C due to substance use, sharing toothbrushes, razors and other general lifestyle factors.

The Argus:

Sara Hide, a Hepatitis C coordinator at St Mungo’s in Oxford, said: “With treatment for Hepatitis C now less invasive – a course of medication for eight to 12 weeks – we’ve seen an uptake in people responding to our screening services. We also screen for other conditions at the same time to identify clients that might need extra health support.”

The project on Hepatitis C has helped find and cure 70,000 people of the potentially fatal disease and reduced the number of people seeking liver transplants due to Hepatitis C, NHS England said.

Since the rollout of an NHS plan to treat children for Hepatitis C last year, more than 100 children received infection-curing antivirals, with 90% of treatments given to the 40% poorest children.

An NHS screening programme launched in September is enabling thousands of people unknowingly living with Hepatitis C to get a diagnosis and treatment sooner by searching health records for key risk factors, such as historic blood transfusions or those with HIV.