Posted: 1 May 2024
Today, on World Liver Day, Gilead Sciences Australia has announced nine local community organisations addressing viral hepatitis will receive a combined AU$400,000 via the global Gilead ALL4LIVER Grant. The recipients were selected by an independent external review panel of global experts, including the World Hepatitis Alliance.
Australia has committed to achieving the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.1,2 While there has been significant progress,1,2 with less than six years to go, recent data found around 75,000 Australians are still living with chronic hepatitis C3 and around 200,000 Australians are living with chronic hepatitis B,2,4 some of whom may be coinfected with hepatitis D.5 With more work to be done, the challenge requires a collective, aligned response. The ALL4LIVER Grant is part of Gilead’s commitment to working together with community organisations to achieve the goal of viral hepatitis elimination by 2030.
Globally, a total of US$4 million is being distributed to 71 community organisations through the Gilead ALL4LIVER Grant to support innovative projects that empower communities to address unmet needs associated with viral hepatitis (including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and hepatitis D). Projects focus on three specific areas: driving testing for viral hepatitis, supporting linkages to care for people affected by viral hepatitis and putting viral hepatitis (back) on the public health agenda as a priority.
The Australian organisation initiatives awarded Gilead ALL4LIVER Grant funding are:
- Hepatitis Australia – bringing critical community perspectives to assist with the finalisation of Australia’s national hepatitis strategies, particularly with regards to stigma and equity.
- Hepatitis Queensland – addressing the high prevalence of hepatitis C within the community corrections population by expanding its Community Corrections hepatitis C testing and treatment clinic model.
- Queensland Injectors Health Network Limited – delivering on its “Prick and Go – the Cure that Comes to You” project, a micro-elimination and harm reduction project proposed to run across specific regional, remote and rural Queensland communities.
- Central Adelaide Local Health Network – providing best practice hepatitis C testing, assessment and treatment to people at risk of hepatitis C infections living in rural areas of South Australia, who currently have limited access to specialist care.
- Hepatitis WA – increasing awareness and testing for hepatitis amongst priority populations, including Aboriginal people, culturally and linguistically diverse/migrant communities, and homeless services, through a multi-faceted approach consisting of a media campaign, community education events and testing days.
- Hepatitis ACT – increasing the reach of its point-of-care testing program by incorporating pop-up testing events targeting priority populations in high prevalence settings.
- LiverWELL, incorporating Hepatitis Victoria – transforming LiverLine, a viral hepatitis helpline, into a care navigation service to better support people facing stigma and discrimination to access information, care and support. LiverWELL will increase responsiveness to callers’ unique and complex needs, facilitating successful and sustained engagement with care.
- Burnet Institute – conducting a situational analysis, including a literature review and stakeholder consultations, to identify the need and scope for the development of a coordinated public health response to hepatitis D within the Asia Pacific region and Australia.
- The Westmead Institute for Medical Research – establishing scalable community-based solutions to support, educate and strengthen the voices of the hepatitis B affected community. The program will deliver online educational modules to increase testing, peer-led mentoring to improve linkage to care and establish a community-led advisory body to promote prioritisation of hepatitis B.
Commenting on the grant to engage communities to finalise Australia’s 2023-2030 viral hepatitis strategies, Darryl O’Donnell, Interim CEO at Hepatitis Australia said: “Less than seven years out from the 2030 elimination goal, Hepatitis Australia is working to ensure community perspectives are at the table as Australia finalises its new National Hepatitis B Strategy and National Hepatitis C Strategy. If the elimination goal is met, Hepatitis Australia believes that Australia could be one of the first countries in the world to eliminate viral hepatitis. However, there are still major barriers accessing testing, treatment and care for communities affected by viral hepatitis. Strategies which centre affected communities and prioritise partnership and community leadership are desperately needed to ensure implementation funding is directed to where the greatest impact will be seen. We are delighted to receive ALL4LIVER grant funding to advance this process.”
Jaime McCoy, General Manager, Gilead Sciences Australia and New Zealand says: “We know there is still much work to be done as we approach 2030, and Gilead is committed to supporting the concerted, multi-sector effort to tackle viral hepatitis. We are delighted to see such a strong representation of innovative projects from Australian organisations receive ALL4LIVER grant funding. This is one of our largest community organisation focused grants for viral hepatitis in Australia and will help empower communities to tackle some of the fundamental obstacles to elimination by increasing awareness, testing and linkage to care across Australia.”
