6 Hepatology Headlines You Missed in July 2025

July 2025 brought renewed attention to the urgent need for progress in hepatitis C elimination and broader liver health, with new research and expert discussions highlighting both advances and persistent gaps in care.

A new episode of Liver Lineup spotlighted the potential of policy reform and expanded screening to close the diagnosis and treatment gap, while data from the DETECT Hep C trial further supported the case for nontargeted screening in emergency departments (EDs). Studies also revealed troubling disparities—particularly lower hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment rates among women with recent pregnancies—and underscored the social and systemic barriers that continue to hinder elimination goals. Meanwhile, additional research pointed to sex-based differences in cirrhosis complications and explored the possible benefits of dietary interventions in chronic hepatitis B.

Check out this July 2025 hepatology month in review for a recap of HCPLive’s coverage of the top hepatic news and research from the past few weeks:

New Episode of Liver Lineup

Liver Lineup: Progress, Policy, and Barriers in Hepatitis C Elimination

In the latest episode of Liver Lineup: Updates & Unfiltered Insights, hosts Kimberly Brown, MD, and Nancy Reau, MD, discuss the progress and persistent challenges in eliminating HCV. With highly effective, short-course oral therapies now available, Brown and Reau emphasize that curing HCV is more achievable than ever.

Their discussion explores the major policy, clinical, and structural milestones enabling this effort—and the critical gaps in diagnosis, treatment access, and health policy that still impede progress.

Updates in HCV Research

Nontargeted Emergency Department HCV Screening Could Aid Infection Identification

Findings from the DETECT Hep C Trial suggest a nontargeted HCV screening approach may be preferable to targeted screening for identifying new HCV infections in EDs. Coined as the largest pragmatic clinical trial of HCV screening in EDs to date, the trial was conducted in 3 high-volume EDs at Denver Health Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center and found nontargeted HCV screening identified significantly more new diagnoses of HCV infection than targeted screening.

Female Sex, Recent Pregnancy Linked to Poor HCV Treatment Rates in Opioid Use Disorder

Among people with HCV infection entering opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in the United States, female sex and recent pregnancy are independent risk factors for reduced likelihood of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) prescription, according to findings from this study. Specifically, results highlight significant differences in DAA prescription between men and women, most starkly in women with recent pregnancy compared to men and women without recent pregnancy.

Addressing The Gap Between Cure and Access in HCV Care, with Paulina Deming, PharmD

Once considered a daunting, chronic illness with limited treatment options, HCV infection is now curable in the vast majority of patients—typically with a short course of well-tolerated antiviral therapy. Despite this clinical triumph, the global goal of eliminating HCV as a public health threat by 2030 is quickly slipping out of reach. In recognition of World Hepatitis Day, Paulina Deming, PharmD, discusses drivers of new infections, the systemic barriers that continue to impede progress, and the changes she believes are most urgently needed to get elimination efforts back on track.

Sex Disparities and Dietary Interventions in Liver Disease

Male Cirrhosis Patients Face Greater Risk of Liver Complications Than Females

Leveraging data for > 400,000 adult patients from the Merative MarketScan Research Databases, this study highlights significant sex disparities in liver complication risk among patients with cirrhosis, including increased risks of hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation, and decompensated cirrhosis among men compared with women.

Vegetable Oil Diet Promotes Liver Health in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Findings from this study suggest the potential benefits of a diet incorporating vegetable oil for energy intake during treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus. Compared with a control group of traditional dietary self-management education, investigators found the refined group presented a faster reduction speed in ALT, AST, and TBIL.