Funders:
  • The Kirby Institute, UNSW (NHMRC)
Collaborators:
  • NT Health, Northern Territory Government 
  • Top End Medical Centre

  1. Department of Health awards $3.28M to Kirby Institute infectious disease research

    Date

    $1.63 million was awarded to the REal world Assessment of people living with Chronic Hepatitis B in Australia (REACH-B) Study.

Aims:

To characterise and monitor hepatitis B linkage to care and treatment requirements amongst people living with chronic hepatitis B.

Objectives: 

Among people living with chronic hepatitis B:

  1. To characterise the socio-demographic spectrum
  2. To assess the proportion of individuals in each phase of the disease, based on the natural history of hepatitis B infection
  3. To assess the proportion of individuals who are eligible for each recommended hepatitis B clinical care level
  4. To monitor the uptake of recommended hepatitis B clinical care, including antiviral treatment
  5. To monitor the adherence to recommended hepatitis B care, including the patterns of antiviral use and cessation
  6. To assess the rate of surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma
  7. To assess the rate of progression from each phase to the subsequent phase of hepatitis B
  8. To assess the rate of liver fibrosis progression, including the development of cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma

This study is a multi-centre observational cohort study with mixed retrospective and prospective data collection.

Participants will be recruited from a national network of diverse clinical services, including specialist liver clinics, general practice clinics, community health clinics, sexual health clinics, and prisons. Given the high prevalence of CHB in people born overseas, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the diverse range of clinical services will be selected to ensure adequate representation of these populations. 

It is anticipated that up to 10,000 participants will be enrolled across Australia.

Implications for policy and practice:

It is hoped that the data for this study will be used to improve the health of Australians living with hepatitis B by assisting in diagnosing them, providing treatment early when needed and monitoring people regularly for advanced liver disease.  

Site Investigator:
Site Project Manager:
Contact information:
Project Dates:
  • January 2023 - July 2027