Levitee Labs (CSE:LVT) Inc has announced that it is collaborating with the LiveRx Research Group for testing, treating, and curing Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in Alberta, and providing equitable access to Hepatitis C care.
LiveRx is a project led by Mark G. Swain, head of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Calgary, and funded by the Alberta Innovates Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Health System (PRIHS) funding program.
The research group is dedicated to addressing inequities in the current specialist referral-based HCV care model.
The Vancouver-based wellness company said that it will work with LiveRx to create an equitable, patient-centric HCV care model that facilitates shifting HCV care from specialist treatment centers in urban centers to easily accessible clinics and pharmacies across the province.
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“As I am an expert in HCV care, we are thrilled to be working with Dr. Swain and his team with the common goal of eradicating HCV in Alberta,” said Noha ElSayed, executive director, Levitee Clinics and Levitee Pharmacies, Alberta region, in a statement. “By combining resources and implementing a non-judgmental practice to testing and community-based approach to treatment, we can make a meaningful impact on healthcare from both personal and provincial perspectives.”
Under the agreement, Levitee Labs (CSE:LVT) will implement the LiveRx HCV test and treat program at its Levitee Clinics and Levitee Pharmacies across Alberta from January 2022 through January 2024.
LiveRx will conduct HCV screening and testing for Levitee Clinics patients; including patients identified with HCV, who are within the Levitee Clinics care program as part of the LiveRx HCV eradication research program.
As part of the collaboration, the partners will promote the LiveRx program at Levitee Clinics and Levitee Pharmacies sites. They will also communicate regularly with the LiveRx Research Group to assess implementation successes, challenges, and further needs.
“HCV infects up to 1% of Canadians and can lead to dire complications, such as liver cancer and irreversible liver scarring, for which there are limited treatment options,” commented Swain.
He added: “What’s disheartening is that current HCV treatments can safely cure more than 95% of these infected individuals, but access to these therapies are disproportionately unavailable to priority populations, an obstacle that we are optimistic we can overcome by modifying the standard of care through work with companies like Levitee Labs (CSE:LVT).”
In Canada, it is estimated that 250,000 Canadians are living with chronic HCV and thousands of new cases are diagnosed each year. It said 44% of those infected are unaware of their HCV status; symptoms can take two weeks to six months to appear, and most people will not develop symptoms. If left untreated, HCV can progress over time to serious liver damage and is associated with a range of systemic health problems, decreased quality of life, and increased healthcare costs. The North American HCV drug market was valued at US$3.7 billion as of 2018.
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