Join PATH and the HepC3P project at the 14th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users
At the 14th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users, PATH will highlight our work introducing innovative Hepatitis C virus prevention products and approaches, as well as roadmaps for advancing essential harm reduction services globally.
HCV screening at an HIV prevention site in Dimapur, Nagaland. Photo credit: PATH.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a viral infection that causes liver inflammation and can lead to serious liver damage. It disproportionately affects people who inject drugs (PWID) and people in prison, two groups who already face higher barriers to high-quality health services.
The PATH-led, Unitaid-funded HCV Combination Prevention in PWID and Prisoners Project (HepC3P) is addressing key health access barriers in order to introduce and scale up HCV products and interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Working with our consortia partners—Population Services International, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and University of Bristol—as well as community groups and government stakeholders, HepC3P is accelerating uptake of HCV prevention and treatment services among PWID and people in prison.
At the 14th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) 2026, PATH’s HepC3P team and partners will highlight results from two groundbreaking, community-led research studies assessing the feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and cost of introducing long-acting depot buprenorphine and low-dead-space syringes and needles in LMICs. We will also share how the project is piloting integrated, person-centered approaches for PWID to access HCV services, including HIV/HCV service integration, HCV self-testing, and prison-based needle and syringe programs. In addition, we will present how market shaping, costing, and modeling efforts are paving the way for introduction and scale-up of effective, accessible harm reduction services globally.
See below for a full schedule of HepC3P presentations at INHSU 2026.
- Sessions and workshops
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Thursday, October 8, 2026: 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Global momentum around long-acting depot buprenorphine (LADB) in LMICs has grown significantly. New implementation research findings, country readiness signals, and early market-shaping efforts are helping clarify what it will take to translate promise into practice. This session will include both foundational evidence and practical pathways for early introduction and scale. Speakers will share updated evidence, lessons from early adopter countries, community-led introduction, and progress on financing. The session will also explore how global and national actors can work together to ensure equitable, sustainable access to LADB as a harm reduction and hepatitis prevention tool.
With PATH as a co-chair for this session, Dr. Kimberly Green will share initial evidence from LADB studies in LMICs on acceptability, feasibility, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, while Kanishk Gupta will provide an overview of pricing, regulatory, and demand planning for LADB in LMICs.
Thursday, October 8, 2026: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
The workshop will provide a practical discussion of the importance of promoting client literacy and choice with OAMT based on the tools and lessons developed for the LADB study. Both peer educator and prescriber approaches to supporting client literacy and choice will be covered in a panel discussion. Participants will review various case studies using a tool from the LADB study to help match clients to different OAMT medications.
Dr. Kimberly Green will serve as a panelist during this workshop.
Friday, October 9, 2026: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
This session is grounded in implementation experiences from community-led, multi-country research to increase the uptake and use of low dead-space needles and syringes (LDSS) in low- and middle-income countries. The critical role of community-led research and peer-led knowledge mobilization in supporting implementation and uptake of new harm reduction technologies in diverse contexts will be explored. The session will include country case studies, implementation tools, and broader perspectives from a diverse panel of experts and implementers and consider the implications for designing and implementing meaningful, community-responsive approaches.
Findings and reflections from LDSS research being conducted through the HepC3P project will be included in this session.
- Oral presentations
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Concurrent Session 6C: Abstract Session. Addressing Opioid Related Harm: Friday, October 9, 2026: 12:20 PM - 12:35 PM
Presenter: Dr. Yoko Laurence
- Poster presentations
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Wednesday, October 7, 2026: 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Yana Deineka
Wednesday, October 7, 2026: 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Joshua Folorunsho
Assessing markets to develop a scale-up strategy of LDSS/N in needles and syringes programs in LMICs
Thursday, October 8, 2026: 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Kanishk Gupta
Market shaping for new & underused tools for hepatitis & HIV testing and prevention
Thursday, October 8, 2026: 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Kanishk Gupta
Assessing markets to develop a market entry strategy for LADB in LMICs
Thursday, October 8, 2026: 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Kanishk Gupta
Thursday, October 8, 2026: 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Kanishk Gupta
Thursday, October 8, 2026: 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Kiira Gustafson
Thursday, October 8, 2026: 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Daniela Goeieman
Thursday, October 8, 2026: 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Presenter: Igor Kozak
Poster Tour 04: HIV/HCV epidemiology, prevention and integrated care
Friday, October 9, 2026: 11:25 AM - 11:30 AM
Presenter: Buhari Isumafe
Friday, October 9, 2026: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Presenter: Khanyisile Sibiya
Friday, October 9, 2026: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Presenter: Jack Stone
Friday, October 9, 2026: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Presenter: Yanchenthung Yanthan
Friday, October 9, 2026: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Presenter: Amanda Somana