Brazil's fight against hepatitis C: surveillance, control, and care

The project has multidimensional objectives, combining inputs from epidemiology, political science, and public health. The study will estimate the prevalence of HCV in different populations and the risk factors associated with HCV infection, using data from different public databases and input provided by the dynamics of HCV infection and clinical cases in Brazil.

Moreover, it will conduct political analyses to explore the dynamics of Brazil's controversial strategy for responding to the HCV epidemic, which combines evidence-based treatment protocols and innovative initiatives for local production of generic versions of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) in the context of conflicts over pharmaceutical patent protection.

For the first time, this collaborative project will systematically investigate surveillance, control, and care for HCV in Brazil, which can provide sound evidence, generated by empirical findings, mathematical modelling and political analysis to guide governmental and non-governmental initiatives.

• Hepatitis C in Brazil: Overview and challenges in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, technical report, 2021.

• Hepatite C no Brasil: Panorama atual e desafios em face à pandemia de COVID-19, nota técnica, 2021.

• FGV Sumário Executivo, 2022

• FGV Relatório 01: Governança do programa de hepatites virais, 2022

• FGV Relatório 02: Trajetória da assistência farmacêutica para hepatite C no SUS, 2022

• Opinion article 01: Para avançar na eliminação da hepatite C no Brasil, é preciso atualizar os bancos de dados sobre a doença 

• Opinion article 02: Enfrentamento à hepatite C no Brasil

• Opinion article 03: Três Perguntas: Helena de Moraes Achcar comenta a importância de parcerias na negociação política em saúde 

• Research article 01: Dried blood spot sampling as an alternative for the improvement of hepatitis B and C diagnosis in key populations (DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v13.i4.504)

• Research article 02: Performance of HCV Antigen Testing for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Antiviral Treatment 

• Research article 03: Persistently high hepatitis C rates in haemodialysis patients in Brazil [a systematic review and meta‑analysis]

• Conference presentation 01: Arantes, L. and Fonseca, E. Enfrentamento à Hepatite C no Brasil e na Espanha, XLIV Encontro da Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração, online (2020)

• Conference presentation 02: Arantes, L. Fonseca, E., Shadlen, K. Recentralizing Drug Procurement in a Context of Decentralized Health System: The Case of Hepatitis C Drugs in Brazil. 5th International Conference on Public Policy, Barcelona (2021)

• Conference presentation 03: Davidian, A. and Fonseca, E. The governance of Brazilian response to viral hepatitis. 3rd International Workshops on Public Policy, Budapest, 2020

•Conference presentation 04: Achcar, H., and Fonseca, E. The politics and governance of drug production in public-private partnerships: Brazil’s response to hepatitis C. Red para el Estudio de la Economía Política de América Latina Annual Meeting, Buenos Aires, 2022.

• Dissemination workshops with public health experts in Brazil and the UK

• A forum to debate Brazil's innovative strategies for HCV

• Webinar | Políticas públicas para o enfrentamento da hepatite C no Brasil, 2022

• Technical report dissemination, 2021

Acknowledgement Statement

This work is supported by the Institutional Links grant, ID 527664225, under the Newton Fund. The grant is funded by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz and Fundação Getúlio Vargas/FGV and delivered by the British Council. For further information, please visit www.newtonfund.ac.uk.

About Institutional Links

Institutional Links provides grants for the development of research and innovation collaborations between the UK and partner countries. The British Council runs Institutional Links in partnership with research and higher education institutions globally. Institutional Links is delivered under the Newton Fund to facilitate research that tackles local development challenges.

About the Newton Fund

The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with 17 active partner countries to support their economic development and social welfare, and to develop their research and innovation capacity for long-term sustainable growth. It has a total UK Government investment of £735 million up until 2021, with matched resources from the partner countries.

The Newton Fund is managed by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and delivered through seven UK delivery partners, which includes UK Research and Innovation (comprising the seven research councils and Innovate UK), the UK Academies, the British Council and the Met Office. For further information visit the Newton Fund website (www.newtonfund.ac.uk) and follow via Twitter: @NewtonFund.