We are excited to announce the publication of the first article from the ARC-funded project, ‘A world-first “post-human rights” framework for drug policy’. Co-authored by
GLaD program lead Kate Seear and project officer Sean Mulcahy recently presented a paper at the After Rights? Politics, Ethics and Aesthetics Workshop.
Since late 2019, COVID-19 has been the global health crisis absorbing much of our attention. Efforts to respond to it, including the redeployment of people and resources, have necessarily had impacts on other public health programs and pandemics. The World Health Organization’s ambitious goal to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030 is one program that has been slowed and, in some places, stopped in its tracks by COVID-19.
GLaD team member Emily Lenton recently presented a paper at the 12th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference. Her presentation, titled ‘Hepatitis C testing and gaining informed consent: taking stock and innovating for the future’, was co-authored with the convenor of ARCSHS’ Gender, Law and Drugs program, Associate Professor Kate Seear.
What does life look like for people after they have cleared hepatitis C? Do people whose blood shows no detectable amount of the hepatitis C virus need to inform their doctor or dentist about their previous hepatitis C status? What about prospective employers or insurance providers? Does hepatitis C–related stigma and discrimination remain a challenge for people post-cure? In what ways, and in what settings?
Australia is spending billions on the universal rollout of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) as part of its ambitious goal of achieving virtual elimination of hepatitis C by 2030. These ‘revolutionary’, ‘transformative’ drugs can bring about a sustained virological response – that is, a cure – for hepatitis C in over 90 percent of people treated. They are available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for all Australians who are covered by Medicare.
With new Australian drug laws required to comply with human rights frameworks, researchers at the GLaD program are conducting a new study funded by the Australian Research Countil to develop a world-first ‘post–human rights’ framework for drug policy.
In Australia, a new generation of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for the treatment of hepatitis C have been rolled out in a globally unique program of