Cost Effectiveness of HIV Prevention Interventions in the U.S.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the cost effectiveness of current HIV prevention interventions in the U.S. using a consistent, standardized methodology.
METHODS: The cost effectiveness of common and emerging HIV biomedical and behavioral prevention interventions as delivered to men who have sex with men, injection drug users, and sexually active heterosexuals was estimated. Data on program costs, intervention efficacy, risk behaviors, and per contact transmission probabilities were collected from peer-reviewed papers and health department reports. These data were combined with 2010 national HIV incidence and prevalence surveillance data in a Bernoulli process model to estimate the reduced annual risk of HIV transmission or acquisition associated with these interventions. The cost per prevented case of HIV and the cost per saved quality-adjusted life year were then calculated. Analyses were conducted between 2014 and 2015.
RESULTS: Interventions to diagnose HIV and provide ongoing care and treatment had the lowest cost per prevented case. Among interventions targeted at specific risk groups, interventions for men who have sex with men were the most cost effective. The least cost-effective interventions typically addressed people at risk of acquiring HIV rather than those at risk of transmitting the disease.
CONCLUSIONS: HIV prevention interventions targeted at high-risk populations, those associated with the care continuum, and those that reduce the transmission risk of HIV-infected people are typically the most cost effective. Decision makers can consider these results in planning an efficient allocation of HIV prevention resources. Published by Elsevier Inc.