Global study calls for overhaul of hepatitis B care to meet WHO targets
Ella Day | August 21, 2025 | News story | Medical Communications, Medical/ Scientific Writing | Hepatology, World Health Organisation, hepatitis B, liver damage, medical study
A major global study has warned that current models of hepatitis B care are failing patients and could jeopardise the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 2030 elimination targets. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Liverpool and Imperial College London, both in the UK, in collaboration with colleagues from the US, Gambia, India, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The review, published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, analysed data from more than 1.7m people with chronic hepatitis B across 50 countries. It found significant losses of patients at every stage of care, even in the best-performing health systems.
Specialist-led hospital care produced the strongest results, but still fell short: fewer than three-quarters of patients were assessed for treatment eligibility, and of those eligible, only 78% began therapy. Retention rates dropped sharply among those not started on treatment. Outcomes were poorer in primary care and referral models, while postpartum follow-up for women diagnosed during pregnancy was particularly low.
Alexander Stockdale, lead author and Professor at University of Liverpool, said: “Without urgent changes, millions will miss out on lifesaving treatment.”
It calls for decentralised and integrated models of care, including delivery through primary health centres and HIV or non-communicable disease services, alongside same-day treatment initiation and removal of financial barriers.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that inflames the liver. It caused an estimated 1.1m deaths worldwide in 2022.
Ella Day
21/8/25
Related Content
European Commission approves HIV prevention injection
The European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorisation for Gilead Science’s Yeytuo (lenacapavir), the first …
Study links COVID-19 and some vaccines to increased risk of rare neurological condition
An international study has found an increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) following SARS-CoV-2 infection …
GSK gains FDA Fast Track designation for chronic hepatitis B treatment
GSK has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track …
