We work with our international partners to develop evidence-based calls to action and encourage decision-makers to implement proven interventions that improve the health of people who use drugs in local communities, countries, regions, and globally
Policy briefs are a vehicle for providing evidence-based policy advice to aid informed decision-making.
Increasing access to harm reduction services across the African region
At INHSU 2025 in Cape Town, our annual Policy Day brought together 67 leaders from government, community, public health and funding agencies to examine the state of harm reduction across Africa. The resulting report outlines practical recommendations for governments, donors, implementers and community networks — from coordinated leadership and domestic financing to legal reform and protecting essential services like NSPs, OAT and naloxone.
Download report One-page summary
Key Components of Point-of-Care Testing Programs
This report outlines six areas that must work together if point-of-care testing is to be implemented effectively and to scale. The report is based on discussions from the 2025 INHSU Point-of-Care Testing Forum in Los Angeles, California, where more than 80 international researchers, clinicians, community representatives, and policymakers examined what it takes to expand access to point-of-care testing in diverse, real-world settings.
Download report One-page summary
Addressing Health System and Policy Barriers to Needle and Syringe Program Scale-Up
Needle and Syringe Programs (NSPs) are among the most effective harm reduction interventions available. Yet globally, they remain under-implemented due to outdated policies, suboptimal procurement processes, and constant underfunding. This report follows INHSU’s 2024 Policy Day in Athens, where 54 stakeholders from multilateral and global health organisations, governments, academic and research institutions, and community-led networks of people who use drugs came together to co-design solutions for scaling up NSPs.
Download report One-page summary
Barriers and Solutions to Increasing Access to Point-of-Care HCV Testing
This report was developed in collaboration with the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination (CGHE), FIND, The Kirby Institute, UNSW, and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), following the INHSU Hepatitis C Point-of-Care Testing Forum, held during the Global Hepatitis Summit in Paris in April 2023. It explores the underutilised promise of point-of-care testing in simplifying diagnosis, improving access to treatment, and ultimately reducing the prevalence of HCV.
Supervised Consumption Site Policy Brief
At the 10th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users, held in Glasgow, Scotland, international policymakers gathered to discuss the global overdose crisis and the role that supervised consumption sites can play in helping end these needless and preventable deaths.
A new policy brief is now available that summarises the day’s discussions.
Expanding Access to Hepatitis C Prevention, Testing, and Treatment in Prisons
At the INHSU 2022 conference, the INHSU Prisons network co-convened a workshop with the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination (CGHE), focussed on strategies for expanding access to hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevention, testing, and treatment in prison settings. This report was published on those findings and reccomendations.
South Africa Viral Hepatitis Policy Brief
INHSU has collaborated with multiple South African organisations to develop a viral hepatitis policy brief.
The brief clearly presents relevant data, research findings, and key recommendations to inform advocacy efforts and decision-making.