WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has greenlit the marketing of a ground-breaking Hepatitis C virus (HCV) test, developed by Cepheid, marking a significant step in battling the often lethal disease. This diagnostic tool doesn’t only provide a quicker diagnosis; it also offers the potential for a prompt, same-visit initiation of treatment for those infected.
Breaking away from traditional lab-based testing and its cumbersome multi-step process, the newly authorized Xpert HCV test and GeneXpert Xpress System can be used in settings that hold a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Certificate of Waiver. These include emergency departments, urgent care clinics, doctors’ offices, certain substance use disorder treatment facilities, and correctional facilities. The ability of the test to detect HCV RNA in roughly an hour just using a blood sample from the fingertip is revolutionary.
This transformational approval sets the stage for a test-and-treat approach where patients can be diagnosed and potentially begin treatment during the same healthcare visit. This immediate action reduces the chances of patients falling through the cracks in complex healthcare systems, allowing more of them to receive critical care.
In a statement, Jeff Shuren, M.D., J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, underlined the criticality of this development. “Despite the existence of a safe and highly effective oral cure for hepatitis C, many people do not know they have the disease due partly to the lack of availability of convenient, widespread testing options,” said Shuren.
Bearing in mind that an estimated 2.4 to 4 million people in the U.S. live with Hepatitis C, a disease that contributed to over 12,000 deaths in 2022 alone, the FDA’s approval could herald a desperately needed shift in disease management.
This development aligns closely with the Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed five-year fiscal year 2025 program, designed to eliminate Hepatitis C in the U.S. The program, part of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, intends to considerably broaden Hepatitis C testing, treatment, prevention, and monitoring.
Commenting on this development, Jonathan Mermin, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, stated “A third of people with hepatitis C in the United States don’t even know they have a deadly, yet curable, infection. This new test provides hope that more people will be cured, but it will only succeed if it is affordable and available.”
However, the test is not without its limitations and risks. False positive and negative results can lead to unnecessary treatment, delayed correct diagnosis, psychological distress, and increased spread of the infection.
All eyes are now on Cepheid, as healthcare providers and patients alike eagerly await what could be a paradigm shift in the fight against Hepatitis C.
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