Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Health (MoH) and AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, have announced the continuation of their partnership to boost their efforts to eradicate the Hepatitis C (HCV) virus by 2030.

In 2016, Etmaen, a comprehensive campaign to raise public awareness of HCV, was launched in 10 cities across the Kingdom. Building on Etmaen’s initial success in 2016, the next vital phase of the Etmaen initiative is set to screen an additional 10 million people by 2020, treat between 8,000 to 10,000 patients annually and will enhance education, screening, diagnostics and treatment across the Kingdom.

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver. During the initial infection, people often have mild or no symptoms. Without treatment, the virus can cause liver failure and liver cancer, often requiring a liver transplant or resulting in death.

Explaining the Etmaen initiative, Dr. Abdullah M Assiri, assistant deputy minister for preventive health at the Ministry of Health, said: “Our efforts are focused on continuing to improve the current standards of HCV care in the Kingdom in line with our aim to eliminate the virus by 2030. Currently, the Ministry of Health focuses on discovering undiagnosed HCV cases in the community and then referring patients to be treated with highly effective medications. The Ministry of Health is committed to screening an additional 10 million people by 2020. Moreover, the ministry has increased the number of hospitals and healthcare centers offering treatment of hepatitis C in the Kingdom, which enables us to have realistic targets of treating 8,000 to 10,000 HCV patients annually.”

Alongside this, MoH will start a campaign to support primary health care physicians with diagnosis and treatments of HCV. In addition to a mobile “Fibroscan” service that was launched last year, AbbVie is supporting the Ministry of Health with a dedicated call center to facilitate patient follow-up and monitoring.

Ashraf Daoud, general manager at AbbVie, said: “The continuation of AbbVie’s partnership with the Ministry of Health is a tremendous step forward in eradicating Hepatitis C by 2030. Through utilizing our expertise, best-in-class solutions and unwavering dedication, we are committed to supporting the Ministry of Health’s efforts to elevate the standards of healthcare, increase early detection of HCV and, ultimately, make a remarkable impact on patients’ lives in Saudi Arabia.”

To help with the early detection of HCV, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with AbbVie, is currently hosting Fibroscan screening sessions in primary health care centers across the Kingdom. This is a painless and non-invasive test used to assess the stage of liver disease in patients suffering from HCV.