Willing to undergo hepatitis C treatment in a sample of injection drug users in Toronto, Canada

Background The majority of prevalent and incident hepatitis C (HCV) infections in Canada are related to injection drug use (IDU), thus positioning injection drug users (IDUs) as a critical population to be targeted for HCV treatment. Little research has been undertaken in order to discover the willingness of IDUs to receive HCV treatment, however. Methods The study sample was part of the Opican (illicit CIPIoid use in CANada) cohort study of illicit opioid and other drug users in five Canadian cities. Results Data were collected from a sub-sample of 50 HCV-positive IDUs in Toronto. Four fifths of participants indicated general willingness to participate in HCV treatment. Two conditional treatment questions led to significant decreases in treatment willingness (potential treatment side effects and requirement of addiction treatment). Conclusion The majority of IDUs in this sample indicated willingness to participate in HCV treatment, yet the particular needs and situations of this marginalized population have to be considered and addressed for responsive HCV treatment delivery.