3 hours ago - Health

New AI health effort takes aim at Hepatitis C

Maya Goldman

Illustration of a caduceus with arrow cursors for wings — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

OpenAI's nonprofit arm is committing $100 million toward a public health effort built around using advanced artificial intelligence to help expand treatment rates for Hepatitis C, HIV, and other conditions.

Why it matters: Hepatitis C is curable in more than 95% of patients, but about two-thirds of Americans living with the liver disease remain untreated and about 40 die each day, officials behind the effort said.

Driving the news: The OpenAI Foundation is partnering with the Common Health Coalition in an attempt to double Hepatitis C cure rates over the next two years in eight states and localities, initially focusing on Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, and Massachusetts.

It would deliver oral antivirals that can cure more than 95% of infected people within eight to 12 weeks.
Public health officials and providers envision using generative AI tools to identify patients who've fallen through the cracks in the health system, synthesize patient records, and handle other administrative work.
AI-enabled tools can also track progress and help providers identify those areas with greatest need.

Officials said the effort could be scaled up for other needs, including HIV prevention and curable cancers.

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New AI health effort takes aim at Hepatitis C

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