{
  "abstract": "Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a key public health challenge, particularly among people who use and inject drugs (PWUD, PWID). While direct-acting antivirals (DAA) have revolutionized HCV treatment, meeting the WHO’s 2030 elimination target requires accurate estimation of incidence and prevalence to guide prevention and care. We analyze cross-sectional surveys conducted in France in 2004, 2013, and 2023, recruiting PWUD at harm reduction services and collecting behavioral and biological data. We estimate age-and time-dependent prevalence of HCV antibodies and HCV RNA using multivariate regression models while incidence was estimated from two-state transmission models. The demographic profile of PWUD has aged over time (mean age 35 years in 2004 vs. 44 in 2023) while injection prevalence remained stable (61.7% in 2023). Between 2013 and 2023, HCV burden declined substantially: HCV RNA prevalence fell from 19.4% (95% CI 16.3–23.0) to 9.5% (7.2–12.3) among all PWUD, and from 29.6% to 14.5% among PWID. Incidence among PWID decreased from 6.5 (4.1–8.0) to 2.4 (1.4–4.2) per 100 person-years. These reductions likely reflect the combined impact of DAA scale-up and harm reduction policies, marking substantial progress toward elimination targets. However, ongoing transmission highlights persistent barriers requiring targeted public health actions.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Chiara E. Sabbatini",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6839-3777"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yann Le Strat"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christophe Bonaldi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cécile Brouard",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9771-7400"
    },
    {
      "name": "Martin Audran",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-8797-711X"
    },
    {
      "name": "Leïla Saboni"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jean-Baptiste Richard",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4193-9159"
    },
    {
      "name": "Amélie David"
    },
    {
      "name": "Catherine Gaudy-Graffin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Stéphane Chevaliez"
    },
    {
      "name": "Francis Barin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Karl Stefic",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9686-9194"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marie Jauffret-Roustide"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/37vp7848sq2cv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-78598-3",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "37vp7848sq2cv",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78598-3",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2721|Hepatitis C virus research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7203979420",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78598-3_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-11",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/37vp7848sq2cv.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:38Z",
      "native_id": "10.1038/s41467-026-78598-3",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78598-3"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2721|Hepatitis C virus research",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "HCV incidence and prevalence trends among people who use drugs in France 2004 to 2023",
  "title_text": "HCV incidence and prevalence trends among people who use drugs in France 2004 to 2023",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:38Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/37vp7848sq2cv",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}