Short-course prophylaxis with the Toronto HCV protocol for recipients of non-liver solid organ transplants from donors with hepatitis C viraemia: a retrospective, matched cohort study.

Short-course Toronto HCV protocol achieved undetectable HCV RNA in 98% of non-liver solid organ transplant recipients from HCV-positive donors, with no impact on 2-year survival.

• Why it matters: Expanding the donor pool with HCV-positive organs requires safe, effective, and practical antiviral strategies to prevent HCV transmission and ensure recipient health, addressing a critical gap in transplant medicine.
• What they did: A retrospective, matched cohort study of 116 recipients used an 8-day oral antiviral regimen—glecaprevir, pibrentasvir, and ezetimibe—administered before and after transplant, comparing outcomes to HCV-negative controls.
• The result: The protocol prevented or rapidly cleared HCV infection without affecting graft function or survival, offering a cost-effective, simplified alternative to longer antiviral courses and supporting broader use of HCV-viraemic donor organs.