Source – Gilead
FGilead Sciences, on July 20, has introduced the Gilead Relink program, a new grant initiative in the United States with a funding commitment of $8 million. This program is dedicated to addressing the challenge of re-engaging diagnosed but untreated individuals living with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) into proper care. The CDA Foundation (CDAF), headquartered in Lafayette, Colorado, has been entrusted to lead and oversee the Gilead Relink program. Their responsibilities include administering the funds to qualifying grantees identified by CDAF based on specific criteria, implementing integral strategic planning, and providing technical support.
Despite the availability of treatments and HBV vaccination options, the United States still has a considerable number of people living with HCV and HBV. An estimated 2.4 million individuals are living with HCV, and around 850,000 people are living with HBV, as reported by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Both HCV and HBV contribute to increasing rates of cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, and premature deaths. Recognizing the growing risk of viral hepatitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has set a global target to eliminate these diseases as a public health threat by 2030. However, achieving this goal has been hindered due to factors such as lack of awareness of one’s infection status, failure to seek follow-up care, and delays in seeking treatment, even though highly effective oral drugs for HCV and therapies for HBV are available.
“Gilead has been committed to improving the lives of people living with liver disease for more than two decades, and we are thrilled to expand our support to healthcare organizations through the new Gilead Relink grant program. As we work toward eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, we must address barriers to treatment by relinking the people who have been lost in the process, and that’s what the CDA Foundation and other impactful organizations will help accomplish through this program.”
– Macky Natha, Vice President, Medical Affairs, Gilead Sciences
The primary goal of the Gilead Relink grant program is to identify and bridge the gaps in reconnecting people living with HCV and HBV to essential care and treatment. The program focuses on three key areas: utilizing evidence-based solutions, leveraging successful intervention and data collection models, and emphasizing knowledge sharing and convening.
“The relink grant funded by Gilead is an important example of how public and private partnerships can shape viral hepatitis elimination programs that will help the United States achieve the WHO elimination targets by 2030. In order to improve viral hepatitis patient outcomes in the United States, we must ensure that individuals not only have access to but are also guided toward affordable and effective prevention, care and treatment services.”
– Homie Razavi, Founder and Managing Director, CDA Foundation
CDA Foundation (CDAF) is a non-profit organization specializing in studying complex and poorly-understood diseases. Its mission is to provide countries and territories with the necessary data and information to create and implement effective elimination strategies. CDAF is committed to eliminating HBV and HCV globally by 2030, and it achieves this through providing verified epidemiological data, disease burden and economic impact modeling, smart intervention strategies, access to affordable diagnostics and treatments, innovative financing, and knowledge-sharing partnerships to combat these deadly diseases on a global scale.
