Enrolling couples on hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment when partners are seroconcordant resulted in benefits for reduction in injecting behavior, a recent study found. Researchers investigated changes in injecting behavior during treatment for HCV infection and examined the role of psychosocial factors on patients’ injecting behavior. Eradicate-C was clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of HCV treatment within the injecting drug using population from 2012-2017. A total of 94 participants completed up to 24 weeks of HCV treatment, with social and behavioral measures taken at different intervals. Researchers found:

• Data for 84 participants was analyzed retrospectively to examine potential behavioral changes which had occurred during treatment.

• Injecting frequency reduced significantly between baseline (week 1) and every 4-weekly interval until week 26.
• Not being on Opiate Substitution Therapy (OST) was associated with a statistically significant decrease in injecting frequency, as was having a partner who also used drugs, in particular when that partner was also on treatment for HCV infection.