BACKGROUND: Optimal resource allocation for antiretroviral treatment (ART) in developing countries requires assessment of different strategies for drug treatment and laboratory monitoring. OBJECTIVES: To compare costs and outcomes for 10 000 simulated HIV-infected patients followed every 6 months for 10 years in a limited-resource setting. METHOD: Five nested strategies, with and without the availability of a second-line treatment regimen, were simulated: (a) no ART (NO ART); (b) with ART but without any laboratory markers of HIV other than positive serology (ART ONLY); (c) ART plus total lymphocyte count (TLC); (d) ART plus CD4 cell counts (CD4); and (e) ART plus CD4 cell count plus viral load measurement (VL). Baseline prices of CD4 cell count and viral load measurements were $5.00 and $25.00 per test, respectively. RESULTS: With no second-line treatment available, treating 10 000 patients with ART ONLY compared with NO ART would cost $14.49 million [95% confidence interval (CI), 14.45-14.52] and would generate an additional 23 060 quality-adjusted life years (QALYS) (95% CI, 22 770-23 360) for a median incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $628/QALY. Median ICER values per QALY for CD4 and VL strategies are $238 and $16 139, respectively, when second-line treatment is unavailable. With second-line ART available, the corresponding median ICER values are $8636, and $14 670. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of second-line ART, the CD4 strategy is a more cost-effective laboratory testing strategy for managing HIV infection than either TLC or VL. Availability of second-line ART plus CD4 cell count and/or viral load measurement would save additional lives, but at high incremental cost.
BACKGROUND: Optimal resource allocation for antiretroviral treatment (ART) in developing countries requires assessment of different strategies for drug treatment and laboratory monitoring. OBJECTIVES: To compare costs and outcomes for 10 000 simulated HIV-infectedpatients followed every 6 months for 10 years in a limited-resource setting. METHOD: Five nested strategies, with and without the availability of a second-line treatment regimen, were simulated: (a) no ART (NO ART); (b) with ART but without any laboratory markers of HIV other than positive serology (ART ONLY); (c) ART plus total lymphocyte count (TLC); (d) ART plus CD4 cell counts (CD4); and (e) ART plus CD4 cell count plus viral load measurement (VL). Baseline prices of CD4 cell count and viral load measurements were $5.00 and $25.00 per test, respectively. RESULTS: With no second-line treatment available, treating 10 000 patients with ART ONLY compared with NO ART would cost $14.49 million [95% confidence interval (CI), 14.45-14.52] and would generate an additional 23 060 quality-adjusted life years (QALYS) (95% CI, 22 770-23 360) for a median incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $628/QALY. Median ICER values per QALY for CD4 and VL strategies are $238 and $16 139, respectively, when second-line treatment is unavailable. With second-line ART available, the corresponding median ICER values are $8636, and $14 670. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of second-line ART, the CD4 strategy is a more cost-effective laboratory testing strategy for managing HIV infection than either TLC or VL. Availability of second-line ART plus CD4 cell count and/or viral load measurement would save additional lives, but at high incremental cost.
Authors: Eran Bendavid; Sean D Young; David A Katzenstein; Ahmed M Bayoumi; Gillian D Sanders; Douglas K Owens Journal: Arch Intern Med Date: 2008-09-22
Authors: Eran Bendavid; Robin Wood; David A Katzenstein; Ahmed M Bayoumi; Douglas K Owens Journal: J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Date: 2009-09-01 Impact factor: 3.731
Authors: Mattia C F Prosperi; Michal Rosen-Zvi; André Altmann; Maurizio Zazzi; Simona Di Giambenedetto; Rolf Kaiser; Eugen Schülter; Daniel Struck; Peter Sloot; David A van de Vijver; Anne-Mieke Vandamme; Anders Sönnerborg Journal: PLoS One Date: 2010-10-29 Impact factor: 3.240