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Opioid substitution treatment (OST) to prevent HCV and HIV infection and reduce injecting risk behaviours

Summary of the evidence

Rating
  • Beneficial

OST has been found to be effective in a a systematic review with meta-analysis (Platt et al., 2017, 28 studies, N= 11 070 PWID) in:

  • reducing the risk of HCV acquisition by 50% (RR 0.50, 95 % CI 0.40 to 0.63).

Another systematic review (Palmateer et al., 2022, 27 systematic review, 61 studies) confirmed the results and found sufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of OST in:

  • the prevention of primary HCV infection and HCV reinfection among PWID
  • the prevention of HIV seroconversion, especially for those in continuous treatment
  • the prevention of the frequency of injection, the sharing of injecting equipment and injecting risk behaviour

Details

Note: this evidence summary is only valid for the outcomes, target groups, settings and substances/patterns of use described below.

Name of response option
  • Pharmacological treatment
Desired outcome(s)
  • reduce infectious diseases
Area(s)
  • Harm reduction
Specific substance or pattern of use
  • opioids
Target group(s) or setting(s)
  • PWID – people who inject drugs

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