Impact of COVID-19 on prescribing trends of direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of hepatitis C in Ontario, Canada

Introduction — Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are curative treatments for hepatitis C. However, initiation of these treatments requires adequate healthcare access. Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in restrictions to healthcare services in March 2020. We examined the impact of COVID-19 on the number of individuals dispensed DAAs.

Methods — This is a cross-sectional study examining the number of individuals dispensed DAAs in Ontario, Canada, from 2018 to 2020. Time-series models determined the impact of healthcare restrictions on DAA dispensations.

Results — Healthcare restrictions resulted in a 49.3% decrease in DAA dispensations (P = 0.026).

Discussion — COVID-19-related healthcare restrictions significantly affected access to DAAs. Studies exploring the long-term effects on reduced treatment are needed.