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Ahmed A, Dujaili JA, Chuah LH, Hashmi FK, Le LKD, Khanal S, Awaisu A, Chaiyakunapruk N. Cost-Effectiveness of Anti-retroviral Adherence Interventions for People Living with HIV: A Systematic Review of Decision Analytical Models. APPLIED HEALTH ECONOMICS AND HEALTH POLICY 2023; 21:731-750. [PMID: 37389788 PMCID: PMC10403422 DOI: 10.1007/s40258-023-00818-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although safe and effective anti-retrovirals (ARVs) are readily available, non-adherence to ARVs is highly prevalent among people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (PLWHA). Different adherence-improving interventions have been developed and examined through decision analytic model-based health technology assessments. This systematic review aimed to review and appraise the decision analytical economic models developed to assess ARV adherence-improvement interventions. METHODS The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022270039), and reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. Relevant studies were identified through searches in six generic and specialized bibliographic databases, i.e. PubMed, Embase, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, PsycINFO, Health Economic Evaluations Database, tufts CEA registry and EconLit, from their inception to 23 October 2022. The cost-effectiveness of adherence interventions is represented by the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). The quality of studies was assessed using the quality of the health economics studies (QHES) instrument. Data were narratively synthesized in the form of tables and texts. Due to the heterogeneity of the data, a permutation matrix was used for quantitative data synthesis rather than a meta-analysis. RESULTS Fifteen studies, mostly conducted in North America (8/15 studies), were included in the review. The time horizon ranged from a year to a lifetime. Ten out of 15 studies used a micro-simulation, 4/15 studies employed Markov and 1/15 employed a dynamic model. The most commonly used interventions reported include technology based (5/15), nurse involved (2/15), directly observed therapy (2/15), case manager involved (1/15) and others that involved multi-component interventions (5/15). In 1/15 studies, interventions gained higher quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) with cost savings. The interventions in 14/15 studies were more effective but at a higher cost, and the overall ICER was well below the acceptable threshold mentioned in each study, indicating the interventions could potentially be implemented after careful interpretation. The studies were graded as high quality (13/15) or fair quality (2/15), with some methodological inconsistencies reported. CONCLUSION Counselling and smartphone-based interventions are cost-effective, and they have the potential to reduce the chronic adherence problem significantly. The quality of decision models can be improved by addressing inconsistencies in model selection, data inputs incorporated into models and uncertainty assessment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Ahmed
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Juman Abdulelah Dujaili
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
- Swansea University Medical School, Singleton Campus, Swansea University, Wales, UK
| | - Lay Hong Chuah
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Furqan Khurshid Hashmi
- University College of Pharmacy, University of Punjab, Allama Iqbal Campus, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Long Khanh-Dao Le
- Monash University Health Economics Group (MUHEG), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Saval Khanal
- Health Economics Consulting, University of East Anglia, Coventry, UK
| | - Ahmed Awaisu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Nathorn Chaiyakunapruk
- College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- IDEAS Center, Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Healthcare System, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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2
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Bogart LM, Mutchler MG, Goggin K, Ghosh-Dastidar M, Klein DJ, Saya U, Linnemayr S, Lawrence SJ, Tyagi K, Thomas D, Gizaw M, Bailey J, Wagner GJ. Randomized Controlled Trial of Rise, A Community-Based Culturally Congruent Counseling Intervention to Support Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Black/African American Adults Living with HIV. AIDS Behav 2022; 27:1573-1586. [PMID: 36399252 PMCID: PMC9673878 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-022-03921-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Structural inequities have led to HIV disparities, including relatively low antiretroviral therapy adherence and viral suppression rates among Black Americans living with HIV. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of Rise, a community-based culturally congruent adherence intervention, from January 2018 to December 2021 with 166 (85 intervention, 81 control) Black adults living with HIV in Los Angeles County, California [M (SD) = 49.0 (12.2) years-old; 76% male]. The intervention included one-on-one counseling sessions using basic Motivational Interviewing style to problem solve about adherence, as well as referrals to address unmet needs for social determinants of health (e.g., housing services, food assistance). Assessments included electronically monitored adherence; HIV viral load; and baseline, 7-month follow-up, and 13-month follow-up surveys of sociodemographic characteristics, HIV stigma, medical mistrust, and HIV-serostatus disclosure. Repeated-measures intention-to-treat regressions indicated that Rise led to significantly (two-fold) higher adherence likelihood, lower HIV stigmatizing beliefs, and reduced HIV-related medical mistrust. Effects on HIV viral suppression, internalized stigma, and disclosure were non-significant. Moreover, Rise was cost-effective based on established standards: The estimated cost per person to reach optimal adherence was $335 per 10% increase in adherence. Interventions like Rise, that are culturally tailored to the needs of Black populations, may be optimal for Black Americans living with HIV (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT03331978).
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Bogart
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 USA
| | - Matt G. Mutchler
- APLA Health & Wellness, Los Angeles, CA USA ,California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA USA
| | - Kathy Goggin
- Children’s Mercy Kansas City and University of Missouri-Kansas City Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, Kansas City, MO USA
| | | | - David J. Klein
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 USA
| | - Uzaib Saya
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 USA
| | - Sebastian Linnemayr
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 USA
| | | | | | - Damone Thomas
- APLA Health & Wellness, Los Angeles, CA USA ,HEALING with HOPE Corp., Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Mahlet Gizaw
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 USA
| | | | - Glenn J. Wagner
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 USA
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3
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Dunlap LJ, Orme S, Zarkin GA, Holtgrave DR, Maulsby C, Rodewald AM, Holtyn AF, Silverman K. Cost and Cost-Effectiveness of Incentives for Viral Suppression in People Living with HIV. AIDS Behav 2022; 26:795-804. [PMID: 34436714 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-021-03439-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Only 63% of people living with HIV in the United States are achieving viral suppression. Structural and social barriers limit adherence to antiretroviral therapy which furthers the HIV epidemic while increasing health care costs. This study calculated the cost and cost-effectiveness of a contingency management intervention with cash incentives. People with HIV and detectable viral loads were randomized to usual care or an incentive group. Individuals could earn up to $3650 per year if they achieved and maintained an undetectable viral load. The average 1-year intervention cost, including incentives, was $4105 per patient. The average health care costs were $27,189 per patient in usual care and $35,853 per patient in the incentive group. We estimated a cost of $28,888 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained, which is well below accepted cost-per-QALY thresholds. Contingency management with cash incentives is a cost-effective intervention for significantly increasing viral suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Dunlap
- Behavioral Health Research Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Stephen Orme
- Behavioral Health Research Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
- RTI International, 701 13th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC, 20005-3967, USA.
| | - Gary A Zarkin
- Behavioral Health Research Division, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - David R Holtgrave
- School of Public Health, and Center for Collaborative HIV Research in Practice and Policy, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Catherine Maulsby
- Department of Health Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew M Rodewald
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Learning and Health, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - August F Holtyn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Learning and Health, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kenneth Silverman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Learning and Health, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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4
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Wagner GJ, Hoffman R, Linnemayr S, Schneider S, Ramirez D, Gordon K, Seelam R, Ghosh-Dastidar B. START (Supporting Treatment Adherence Readiness through Training) Improves Both HIV Antiretroviral Adherence and Viral Reduction, and is Cost Effective: Results of a Multi-site Randomized Controlled Trial. AIDS Behav 2021; 25:3159-3171. [PMID: 33811266 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-021-03188-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The START (Supporting Treatment Adherence Readiness through Training) intervention was examined for its effects on ART adherence and virologic suppression relative to usual care. A sample of 176 clients about to start or restart ART were randomized (83 to START, 93 to usual care) at HIV clinics in the Los Angeles area. Primary outcomes included electronically monitored dose-taking adherence and HIV viral load; primary end points were months 6 and 24, with group differences examined using nonresponse-weighted means or proportions, effect sizes, and significance testing. Item nonresponse was addressed using multiple imputation. 166 (94.3%) participants started ART, of whom 124 (74.7%) were still in care at month 6, and 90 (54.2%) at month 24. In comparison to the usual care control group, the START group had higher dose-taking adherence at month 6 (86.2% vs. 71.6%, d = 0.56, p = 0.01), which was sustained through month 24 (86.0% vs. 61.1%, d =1.01, p < 0.0001). While rates of undetectable viral load did not differ between groups at month 6 or 24, the mean reduction in viral load (log10 copies/mm3) at month 24 was significantly greater in the intervention arm (3.0 vs. 2.7; d = 0.40, p = 0.047). An estimated cost of $132 per person was needed to obtain a 10% increase in dose-taking adherence over 24 months from the intervention. These findings suggest that START is cost effective in producing a medium to large effect on dose-taking adherence that is durable over 24 months, and a modest long-term effect on viral reduction.Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02329782 (registered December 22, 2014).
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn J Wagner
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA.
| | - Risa Hoffman
- UCLA, Department of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Stefan Schneider
- Long Beach Education and Research Consultants, Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Ramirez
- Long Beach Education and Research Consultants, Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Kyle Gordon
- UCLA, Department of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rachana Seelam
- RAND Corporation, 1776 Main St, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA
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5
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Modeling Adherence Interventions Among Youth with HIV in the United States: Clinical and Economic Projections. AIDS Behav 2021; 25:2973-2984. [PMID: 33547993 PMCID: PMC8342630 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-021-03169-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions is evaluating treatment adherence interventions (AI) to improve virologic suppression (VS) among youth with HIV (YWH). Using a microsimulation model, we compared two strategies: standard-of-care (SOC) and a hypothetical 12-month AI that increased cohort-level VS in YWH in care by an absolute ten percentage points and cost $100/month/person. Projected outcomes included primary HIV transmissions, deaths and life-expectancy, lifetime HIV-related costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs, $/quality-adjusted life-year [QALY]). Compared to SOC, AI would reduce HIV transmissions by 15% and deaths by 12% at 12 months. AI would improve discounted life expectancy/person by 8 months at an added lifetime cost/person of $5,300, resulting in an ICER of $7,900/QALY. AI would be cost-effective at $2,000/month/person or with efficacies as low as a 1 percentage point increase in VS. YWH-targeted adherence interventions with even modest efficacy could improve life expectancy, prevent onward HIV transmissions, and be cost-effective.
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6
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Wijnen BFM, Oberjé EJM, Evers SMAA, Prins JM, Nobel HE, van Nieuwkoop C, Veenstra J, Pijnappel FJ, Kroon FP, van Zonneveld L, van Hulzen AGW, van Broekhuizen M, de Bruin M. Cost-effectiveness and Cost-utility of the Adherence Improving Self-management Strategy in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care: A Trial-based Economic Evaluation. Clin Infect Dis 2020; 68:658-667. [PMID: 30239629 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciy553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Several promising human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment adherence interventions have been identified, but data about their cost-effectiveness are lacking. This study examines the trial-based cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of the proven-effective Adherence Improving Self-Management Strategy (AIMS), from a societal perspective, with a 15-month time horizon. Methods Treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients at risk for viral rebound were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or AIMS in a multicenter randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands. AIMS is a nurse-led, 1-on-1 self-management intervention incorporating feedback from electronic medication monitors, delivered during routine clinical visits. Main outcomes were costs per reduction in log10 viral load, treatment failure (2 consecutive detectable viral loads), and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Results Two hundred twenty-three patients were randomized. From a societal perspective, AIMS was slightly more expensive than TAU but also more effective, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €549 per reduction in log10 viral load and €1659 per percentage decrease in treatment failure. In terms of QALYs, AIMS resulted in higher costs but more QALYs compared to TAU, which resulted in an ICER of €27759 per QALY gained. From a healthcare perspective, AIMS dominated TAU. Additional sensitivity analyses addressing key limitations of the base case analyses also suggested that AIMS dominates TAU. Conclusions Base case analyses suggests that over a period of 15 months, AIMS may be costlier, but also more effective than TAU. All additional analyses suggest that AIMS is cheaper and more effective than TAU. This trial-based economic evaluation confirms and complements a model-based economic evaluation with a lifetime horizon showing that AIMS is cost-effective. Clinical Trials Registration NCT01429142.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben F M Wijnen
- Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute, School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University.,Trimbos Institute, Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Center of Economic Evaluations, Utrecht
| | - Edwin J M Oberjé
- Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam.,Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Healthcare, Heerlen
| | - Silvia M A A Evers
- Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute, School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University.,Trimbos Institute, Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Center of Economic Evaluations, Utrecht
| | - Jan M Prins
- Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam
| | - Hans-Erik Nobel
- Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam
| | | | - Jan Veenstra
- Department of Internal Medicine, Sint Lucas Andreas Hospital, Amsterdam
| | | | - Frank P Kroon
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center
| | | | | | | | - Marijn de Bruin
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, United Kingdom
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7
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Flash MJE, Garland WH, Martey EB, Schackman BR, Oksuzyan S, Scott JA, Jeng PJ, Rubio M, Losina E, Freedberg KA, Kulkarni SP, Hyle EP. Cost-effectiveness of a Medical Care Coordination Program for People With HIV in Los Angeles County. Open Forum Infect Dis 2019; 6:ofz537. [PMID: 31909083 PMCID: PMC6935680 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofz537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Los Angeles County (LAC) Division of HIV and STD Programs implemented a medical care coordination (MCC) program to address the medical and psychosocial service needs of people with HIV (PWH) at risk for poor health outcomes. Methods Our objective was to evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of the MCC program. Using the CEPAC-US model populated with clinical characteristics and costs observed from the MCC program, we projected lifetime clinical and economic outcomes for a cohort of high-risk PWH under 2 strategies: (1) No MCC and (2) a 2-year MCC program. The cohort was stratified by acuity using social and clinical characteristics. Baseline viral suppression was 33% in both strategies; 2-year suppression was 33% with No MCC and 57% with MCC. The program cost $2700/person/year. Model outcomes included quality-adjusted life expectancy, lifetime medical costs, and cost-effectiveness. The cost-effectiveness threshold for the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was $100 000/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Results With MCC, life expectancy increased from 10.07 to 10.94 QALYs, and costs increased from $311 300 to $335 100 compared with No MCC (ICER, $27 400/QALY). ICERs for high/severe, moderate, and low acuity were $30 500/QALY, $25 200/QALY, and $77 400/QALY. In sensitivity analysis, MCC remained cost-effective if 2-year viral suppression was ≥39% even if MCC costs increased 3-fold. Conclusions The LAC MCC program improved survival and was cost-effective. Similar programs should be considered in other settings to improve outcomes for high-risk PWH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moses J E Flash
- Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Wendy H Garland
- Division of HIV and STD Programs, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Emily B Martey
- Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bruce R Schackman
- Department of Healthcare Policy & Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sona Oksuzyan
- Division of HIV and STD Programs, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Justine A Scott
- Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Philip J Jeng
- Department of Healthcare Policy & Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Marisol Rubio
- Division of HIV and STD Programs, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Elena Losina
- Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard University Center for AIDS Research, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kenneth A Freedberg
- Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard University Center for AIDS Research, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sonali P Kulkarni
- Division of HIV and STD Programs, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Emily P Hyle
- Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard University Center for AIDS Research, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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8
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Neilan AM, Patel K, Agwu AL, Bassett IV, Amico KR, Crespi CM, Gaur AH, Horvath KJ, Powers KA, Rendina HJ, Hightow-Weidman LB, Li X, Naar S, Nachman S, Parsons JT, Simpson KN, Stanton BF, Freedberg KA, Bangs AC, Hudgens MG, Ciaranello AL. Model-Based Methods to Translate Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions Findings Into Policy Recommendations: Rationale and Protocol for a Modeling Core (ATN 161). JMIR Res Protoc 2019; 8:e9898. [PMID: 30990464 PMCID: PMC6488956 DOI: 10.2196/resprot.9898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 60,000 US youth are living with HIV. US youth living with HIV (YLWH) have poorer outcomes compared with adults, including lower rates of diagnosis, engagement, retention, and virologic suppression. With Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) support, new trials of youth-centered interventions to improve retention in care and medication adherence among YLWH are underway. Objective This study aimed to use a computer simulation model, the Cost-Effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications (CEPAC)-Adolescent Model, to evaluate selected ongoing and forthcoming ATN interventions to improve viral load suppression among YLWH and to define the benchmarks for uptake, effectiveness, durability of effect, and cost that will make these interventions clinically beneficial and cost-effective. Methods This protocol, ATN 161, establishes the ATN Modeling Core. The Modeling Core leverages extensive data—already collected by successfully completed National Institutes of Health–supported studies—to develop novel approaches for modeling critical components of HIV disease and care in YLWH. As new data emerge from ongoing ATN trials during the award period about the effectiveness of novel interventions, the CEPAC-Adolescent simulation model will serve as a flexible tool to project their long-term clinical impact and cost-effectiveness. The Modeling Core will derive model input parameters and create a model structure that reflects key aspects of HIV acquisition, progression, and treatment in YLWH. The ATN Modeling Core Steering Committee, with guidance from ATN leadership and scientific experts, will select and prioritize specific model-based analyses as well as provide feedback on derivation of model input parameters and model assumptions. Project-specific teams will help frame research questions for model-based analyses as well as provide feedback regarding project-specific inputs, results, sensitivity analyses, and policy conclusions. Results This project was funded as of September 2017. Conclusions The ATN Modeling Core will provide critical information to guide the scale-up of ATN interventions and the translation of ATN data into policy recommendations for YLWH in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M Neilan
- Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kunjal Patel
- Department of Epidemiology and Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Allison L Agwu
- Departments of Pediatric and Adult Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ingrid V Bassett
- Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - K Rivet Amico
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Catherine M Crespi
- Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Aditya H Gaur
- St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Keith J Horvath
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Kimberly A Powers
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - H Jonathon Rendina
- Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lisa B Hightow-Weidman
- Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Xiaoming Li
- Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Sylvie Naar
- Center for Translational Behavioral Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Sharon Nachman
- State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Jeffrey T Parsons
- Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kit N Simpson
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Bonita F Stanton
- Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, Nutley, NJ, United States
| | - Kenneth A Freedberg
- Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Audrey C Bangs
- Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Michael G Hudgens
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Andrea L Ciaranello
- Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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9
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Tetteh RA, Nartey ET, Lartey M, Mantel-Teeuwisse AK, Leufkens HGM, Yankey BA, Dodoo ANO. Association Between the Occurrence of Adverse Drug Events and Modification of First-Line Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Ghanaian HIV Patients. Drug Saf 2016; 39:1139-1149. [PMID: 27638659 PMCID: PMC5045837 DOI: 10.1007/s40264-016-0460-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Patients initiated on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) generally remain on medication indefinitely. A modification in the HAART regimen may become necessary because of possible acute or chronic toxicities, concomitant clinical conditions, development of virological failure or the advent of adverse drug events. The study documents adverse drug events of HIV-positive Ghanaian patients with HAART modifications. It also investigates the association between documented adverse drug events and HAART modification using an unmatched case-control study design. METHOD The study was conducted in the Fevers Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and involved patients who attended the HIV Care Clinic between January 2004 and December 2009. Data from 298 modified therapy patients (cases) were compared with 298 continuing therapy patients (controls) who had been on treatment for at least 1 month before the end of study. Controls were sampled from the same database of a cohort of HIV-positive patients on HAART, at the time a case occurred, in terms of treatment initiation ±1 month. Data were obtained from patients' clinical folders and the HIV clinic database linked to the pharmacy database. The nature of the documented adverse drug events of the cases was described and the association between the documented adverse drug events and HAART modification was determined by logistic regression with reported odds ratios (ORs) and their 95 % confidence interval (CI). RESULTS Among the 298 modified therapy patients sampled in this study, 52.7 % of them had at least one documented adverse drug event. The most documented adverse drug event was anaemia, recorded in 18.5 % of modified therapy patients, all of whom were on a zidovudine-based regimen. The presence of documented adverse drug events was significantly associated with HAART modification [adjusted OR = 2.71 (95 % CI 2.11-3.48), p < 0.001]. CONCLUSION Among HIV patients on HAART, adverse drug events play a major role in treatment modification. Occurrence of adverse drug events may be used as a predictor for possible therapy modification. We recommend the institution of active pharmacovigilance in HIV treatment programmes as it permits the proper identification and characterisation of drug-related adverse events. This can help develop approaches towards their management and also justify therapy modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond A Tetteh
- Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Pharmacy Department, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
| | - Edmund T Nartey
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Advocacy and Training in Pharmacovigilance, Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
- Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Margaret Lartey
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | | | - Hubert G M Leufkens
- Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Medicines Evaluation Board, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Alexander N O Dodoo
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Advocacy and Training in Pharmacovigilance, Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
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Lin F, Farnham PG, Shrestha RK, Mermin J, Sansom SL. Cost Effectiveness of HIV Prevention Interventions in the U.S. Am J Prev Med 2016; 50:699-708. [PMID: 26947213 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2015] [Revised: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Lin
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Paul G Farnham
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ram K Shrestha
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Jonathan Mermin
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Stephanie L Sansom
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
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Simon-Tuval T, Neumann PJ, Greenberg D. Cost-effectiveness of adherence-enhancing interventions: a systematic review. Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res 2016; 16:67-84. [DOI: 10.1586/14737167.2016.1138858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Navarro J, Pérez M, Curran A, Burgos J, Feijoo M, Torrella A, Caballero E, Ocaña I, Ribera E, Crespo M, Falcó V. Impact of an adherence program to antiretroviral treatment on virologic response in a cohort of multitreated and poorly adherent HIV-infected patients in Spain. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2014; 28:537-42. [PMID: 25111167 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2014.0097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown the importance of adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in achieving HIV-1 suppression. However, most have focused on naïve patients and do not assess the impact of HAART on viral load (VL). Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of an adherence program in a cohort of multitreated and poorly adherent patients. We performed a cohort study of all adult HIV-1 infected patients with detectable VL who were treatment experienced and poorly adherent to HAART, included in an adherence program since its introduction in 2009 (n=136). The adherence program consisted of a multidisciplinary team with a nurse who specialized in behavioral intervention, counselling on substance abuse, and motivational interviewing, as well as a social worker responsible for referring patients to local healthcare centers. Effectiveness was evaluated as percentage of patients with VL <50 copies/mL at week 48 by modified intent-to-treat (mITT) analysis. Initially, 76.6% of the patients had an adherence <30% according to the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ). At 48 weeks, 48.1% of the patients had VL <50 copies/mL, and the adherence was >90% in 71% of the patients. In multivariate analysis, a ratio of bottle refill per month >0.9 during the study [odds ratio (OR) 14.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.08-50.08, p<0.001] and being on a b.i.d. regimen (OR 12.5; 95% CI 1.81-86.4, p=0.010) were associated with an undetectable VL. In conclusion, the adherence program was successful in almost half of the patients, despite their long treatment experience and prior poor adherence. This strategy may help to prevent disease progression and the risk of HIV transmission in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Navarro
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Merce Pérez
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adria Curran
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Infectious Diseases Department, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joaquin Burgos
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Feijoo
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ariadna Torrella
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estrella Caballero
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Inma Ocaña
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esteban Ribera
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manel Crespo
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vicenç Falcó
- Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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McGrady ME. Commentary: demonstrating cost-effectiveness in pediatric psychology. J Pediatr Psychol 2014; 39:602-11. [PMID: 24752732 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsu019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Changes in the health care system and payment plans will likely require pediatric psychologists to illustrate the impact of their services. Cost-effectiveness analyses are one method of demonstrating the potential economic benefits of our services but are rarely used by pediatric psychologists. METHOD A hypothetical cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted, comparing the costs and outcomes between a behavioral adherence intervention and no intervention for youth with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. RESULTS Results illustrate how pediatric psychologists can use cost-effectiveness analyses to demonstrate the economic impact of their work. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to conduct economic analyses could allow pediatric psychologists to advocate for their services. Implications and future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan E McGrady
- Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Center for Adherence and Self-Management, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
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Oberjé EJM, de Kinderen RJA, Evers SMAA, van Woerkum CMJ, de Bruin M. Cost effectiveness of medication adherence-enhancing interventions: a systematic review of trial-based economic evaluations. PHARMACOECONOMICS 2013; 31:1155-1168. [PMID: 24222477 DOI: 10.1007/s40273-013-0108-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In light of the pressure to reduce unnecessary healthcare expenditure in the current economic climate, a systematic review that assesses evidence of cost effectiveness of adherence-enhancing interventions would be timely. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine the cost effectiveness of adherence-enhancing interventions compared with care as usual in randomised controlled trials, and to assess the methodological quality of economic evaluations. METHODS MEDLINE, PsycInfo, EconLit and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination databases were searched for randomised controlled trials reporting full economic evaluations of adherence-enhancing interventions (published up to June 2013). Information was collected on study characteristics, cost effectiveness of treatment alternatives, and methodological quality. RESULTS A total of 14 randomised controlled trials were included. The quality of economic evaluations and the risk of bias varied considerably between trials. Four studies showed incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) below the willingness-to-pay threshold. Few studies seemed to evaluate interventions that successfully changed adherence. CONCLUSIONS Only 14 randomised controlled trials examined the cost effectiveness of adherence interventions. Despite that some studies showe favourable ICERs, the overall quality of studies was modest and the economic perspectives applied were frequently narrow. To demonstrate that adherence interventions can be cost effective, we recommend that proven-effective adherence programmes are subjected to comprehensive economic evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J M Oberjé
- Department of Communication Science, Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam, Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
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Aziz N, Sokoloff A, Kornak J, Leva NV, Mendiola ML, Levison J, Feakins C, Shannon M, Cohan D. Time to viral load suppression in antiretroviral-naive and -experienced HIV-infected pregnant women on highly active antiretroviral therapy: implications for pregnant women presenting late in gestation. BJOG 2013; 120:1534-47. [PMID: 23924192 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.12226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare time to achieve viral load <400 copies/ml and <1000 copies/ml in HIV-infected antiretroviral (ARV) -naive versus ARV-experienced pregnant women on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Three university medical centers, USA. POPULATION HIV-infected pregnant women initiated or restarted on HAART during pregnancy. METHODS We calculated time to viral load <400 copies/ml and <1000 copies/ml in HIV-infected pregnant women on HAART who reported at least 50% adherence, stratifying based on previous ARV exposure history. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Time to HIV viral load <400 copies/ml and <1000 copies/ml. RESULTS We evaluated 138 HIV-infected pregnant women, comprising 76 ARV-naive and 62 ARV-experienced. Ninety-three percent of ARV-naive women achieved a viral load < 400 copies/ml during pregnancy compared with 92% of ARV-experienced women (P = 0.82). The median number of days to achieve a viral load < 400 copies/ml in the ARV-naive cohort was 25.0 (range 3.5-133; interquartile range 16-34) days compared with 27.0 (range 8-162.5; interquartile range 18.5-54.3) days in the ARV-experienced cohort (P = 0.02). In a multiple predictor analysis, women with higher adherence (adjusted relative hazard [aRH] per 10% increase in adherence 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.54, P = 0.01) and receiving a non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) -based regimen (aRH 2.48, 95% CI 1.33-4.63, P = 0.01) were more likely to achieve viral load <400 copies/ml earlier. Increased baseline HIV log10 viral load was associated with a later time of achieving viral load <400 copies/ml (aRH 0.60, 95% CI 0.39-0.92, P = 0.02). In a corresponding model of time to achieve viral load <1000 copies/ml, adherence (aRH per 10% increase in adherence 1.79, 95% CI 1.34-2.39, P < 0.001), receipt of NNRTI (aRH 2.95, 95% CI 1.23-7.06, P = 0.02), and CD4 cell count (aRH per 50 count increase in CD4 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.22, P = 0.01) were associated with an earlier time to achieve viral load below this threshold. Increasing baseline HIV log10 viral load was associated with a longer time of achieving viral load <1000 copies/ml (aRH 0.54, 95% CI 0.34-0.86, P = 0.01). In multiple predictor models, previous ARV exposure was not significantly associated with time to achieve viral load below thresholds of <400 copies/ml and <1000 copies/ml. CONCLUSIONS Pregnant women with ≥50% adherence, whether ARV-naive or ARV-experienced, on average achieve a viral load <400 copies/ml within a median of 26 days and a viral load of <1000 copies/ml within a median of 14 days of HAART initiation. Increased adherence, receipt of NNRTI-based regimen and lower baseline HIV log10 viral load were all statistically significant predictors of earlier time to achieve viral load <400 copies/ml and <1000 copies/ml. Increased CD4 count was statistically significant as a predictor of earlier time to achieve viral load <1000 copies/ml.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Aziz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Oberjé E, de Bruin M, Evers S, Viechtbauer W, Nobel HE, Schaalma H, McCambridge J, Gras L, Tousset E, Prins J. Cost-effectiveness of a nurse-based intervention (AIMS) to improve adherence among HIV-infected patients: design of a multi-centre randomised controlled trial. BMC Health Serv Res 2013; 13:274. [PMID: 24059292 PMCID: PMC3717053 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6963-13-274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-adherence to HIV-treatment can have a negative impact on patients treatment success rates, quality of life, infectiousness, and life expectancy. Few adherence interventions have shown positive effects on adherence and/or virologic outcomes. The theory- and evidence-based Adherence Improving self-Management Strategy (AIMS) is an intervention that has been demonstrated to improve adherence and viral suppression rates in a randomised controlled trial. However, evidence of its cost-effectiveness is lacking. Following a recent review suggesting that cost-effectiveness evaluations of adherence interventions for chronic diseases are rare, and that the methodology of such evaluations is poorly described in the literature, this manuscript presents the study protocol for a multi-centre trial evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of AIMS among a heterogeneous sample of patients. METHODS/DESIGN The study uses a multi-centre randomised controlled trial design to compare the AIMS intervention to usual care from a societal perspective. Embedded in this RCT is a trial-based and model-based economic evaluation. A planned number of 230 HIV-infected patients are randomised to receive either AIMS or usual care. The relevant outcomes include changes in adherence, plasma viral load, quality of life, and societal costs. The time horizon for the trial-based economic evaluation is 12-15 months. Costs and effects are extrapolated to a lifetime horizon for the model-based economic evaluation. DISCUSSION The present multicentre RCT is designed to provide sound methodological evidence regarding the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a nurse-based counselling intervention (AIMS) to support treatment adherence among a large and heterogeneous sample of HIV-infected patients in the Netherlands. The objective of the current paper is to describe the trial protocol in sufficient detail to allow full evaluation of the quality of the study design. It is anticipated that, if proven cost-effective, AIMS can contribute to improved evidence-based counselling guidelines for HIV-nurses and other health care professionals. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study has been registered on clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT01429142).
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Oberjé
- Department of Communication, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam School of Communication Research ASCoR, Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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Lucas GM, Mullen BA, Galai N, Moore RD, Cook K, McCaul ME, Glass S, Oursler KK, Rand C. Directly administered antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected individuals in opioid treatment programs: results from a randomized clinical trial. PLoS One 2013; 8:e68286. [PMID: 23874575 PMCID: PMC3712961 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2012] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Data regarding the efficacy of directly administered antiretroviral therapy (DAART) are mixed. Opioid treatment programs (OTPs) provide a convenient framework for DAART. In a randomized controlled trial, we compared DAART and self-administered therapy (SAT) among HIV-infected subjects attending five OTPs in Baltimore, MD. METHODS HIV-infected individuals attending OTPs were eligible if they were not taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) or were virologically failing ART at last clinical assessment. In subjects assigned to DAART, we observed one ART dose per weekday at the OTP for up to 12 months. SAT subjects administered ART at home. The primary efficacy comparison was the between-arm difference in the average proportions with HIV RNA <50 copies/mL during the intervention phase (3-, 6-, and 12-month study visits), using a logistic regression model accounting for intra-person correlation due to repeated observations. Adherence was measured with electronic monitors in both arms. RESULTS We randomized 55 and 52 subjects from five Baltimore OTPs to DAART and SAT, respectively. The average proportions with HIV RNA <50 copies/mL during the intervention phase were 0.51 in DAART and 0.40 in SAT (difference 0.11, 95% CI: -0.020 to 0.24). There were no significant differences between arms in electronically-measured adherence, average CD4 cell increase from baseline, average change in log10 HIV RNA from baseline, opportunistic conditions, hospitalizations, mortality, or the development of new drug resistance mutations. CONCLUSIONS In this randomized trial, we found little evidence that DAART provided clinical benefits compared to SAT among HIV-infected subjects attending OTPs. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00279110 NCT00279110?term = NCT00279110&rank = 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory M Lucas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
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Cost of behavioral interventions utilizing electronic drug monitoring for antiretroviral therapy adherence. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2013; 63:e1-8. [PMID: 23337364 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0b013e318285d951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To provide data on the actual costs associated with behavioral ART adherence interventions and electronic drug monitoring used in a clinical trial to inform their implementation in future studies and real-world practice. METHODS Direct and time costs were calculated from a multisite 3-arm randomized controlled ART adherence trial. HIV-positive participants (n = 204) were randomized to standard care, enhanced counseling (EC), or EC and modified directly observed therapy (mDOT) interventions. Electronic drug monitoring (EDM) was used. Costs were calculated for various components of the 24-week adherence intervention. This economic evaluation was conducted from the perspective of an agency that may wish to implement these strategies. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine costs and savings associated with different scenarios. RESULTS Total direct costs were $126,068 ($618 per patient). Initial time costs were $53,590 ($262 per patient). Base cost of labor was $0.36/min. EC costs for 134 patients were $18,427 ($137 per patient) and mDOT for 64 patients cost $18,638 ($291 per patient). Total per patient costs were as follows: standard care = $880, EC = $1018, EC/mDOT = $1309. Removing driving costs evidenced the most variable impact on savings between the 3 study arms. The tornado diagram (sensitivity analysis) showed a graphical representation of how each sensitivity assumption reduced costs compared with each other and the resulting comparative costs for each group. CONCLUSIONS This novel economic analysis provides valuable cost information to guide treatment implementation and research design decisions.
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Reich WA. Medication adherence feedback intervention predicts improved human immunodeficiency virus clinical markers. Int J Nurs Pract 2013; 19:577-83. [PMID: 24330207 DOI: 10.1111/ijn.12100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Thirty-three participants in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) medication adherence feedback (MAF) intervention were compared with 58 HIV-positive non-participants in laboratory-tested CD4 and viral load. The intervention provided adherence feedback and counselling based on a visual display from an electronic pill bottle (MEMS(TM) ). Multiple regression controlling for baseline CD4 and showed that postintervention CD4 was higher for MAF participants than for non-MAF participants. Non-MAF participants' CD4 significantly declined over time. MAF participants were also less likely than non-MAF participants to have a detectable postintervention viral load.
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Cost-effectiveness of adherence interventions for highly active antiretroviral therapy: a systematic review. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 2013; 29:227-33. [PMID: 23759359 DOI: 10.1017/s0266462313000317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of interventions aiming to increase the adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected patients in developed countries (WHO stratum A). METHODS A systematic search for comparative health economic studies was conducted in the following databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, CINAHL, HEED, and EconLit. The identified publications were selected by two reviewers independently according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Furthermore, these were evaluated according to a standardized checklist and finally extracted, analyzed, and summarized. RESULTS After reviewing the abstracts and full texts four relevant studies were identified. Different educational programs were compared as well as the Directly Observed Therapy (DOT). A critical aspect to be considered in particular was the poor transparency of the cost data. In three cost-utility analyses the costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) in the baseline scenario were each under USD 15,000. The sensitivity analyses with a presumed maximum threshold of USD 50,000/QALY showed a predominantly cost-effective result. In one study that examined DOT the costs add up to over USD 150,000/QALY. CONCLUSIONS It seems that adherence interventions for HAART in HIV-infected patients can be cost-effective. Nevertheless, the quality of the included studies is deficient and only a few of the possible adherence interventions are taken into consideration. A final assessment of the cost-effectiveness of adherence interventions in general is, therefore, not possible.
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Guest JL, Weintrob AC, Rimland D, Rentsch C, Bradley WP, Agan BK, Marconi VC, Group IDCRPHIVW. A comparison of HAART outcomes between the US military HIV Natural History Study (NHS) and HIV Atlanta Veterans Affairs Cohort Study (HAVACS). PLoS One 2013; 8:e62273. [PMID: 23658717 PMCID: PMC3641058 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide comprehensive HIV treatment and care to their beneficiaries with open access and few costs to the patient. Individuals who receive HIV care in the VA have higher rates of substance abuse, homelessness and unemployment than individuals who receive HIV care in the DoD. A comparison between individuals receiving HIV treatment and care from the DoD and the VA provides an opportunity to explore the impact of individual-level characteristics on clinical outcomes within two healthcare systems that are optimized for clinic retention and medication adherence. Methods Data were collected on 1065 patients from the HIV Atlanta VA Cohort Study (HAVACS) and 1199 patients from the US Military HIV Natural History Study (NHS). Patients were eligible if they had an HIV diagnosis and began HAART between January 1, 1996 and June 30, 2010. The analysis examined the survival from HAART initiation to all-cause mortality or an AIDS event. Results Although there was substantial between-cohort heterogeneity and the 12-year survival of participants in NHS was significantly higher than in HAVACS in crude analyses, this survival disparity was reduced from 21.5% to 1.6% (mortality only) and 26.8% to 4.1% (combined mortality or AIDS) when controlling for clinical and demographic variables. Conclusion We assessed the clinical outcomes for individuals with HIV from two very similar government-sponsored healthcare systems that reduced or eliminated many barriers associated with accessing treatment and care. After controlling for clinical and demographic variables, both 12-year survival and AIDS-free survival rates were similar for the two study cohorts who have open access to care and medication despite dramatic differences in socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodie L. Guest
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JG); (VM)
| | - Amy C. Weintrob
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David Rimland
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | | | - William P. Bradley
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Brian K. Agan
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Vincent C. Marconi
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JG); (VM)
| | - IDCRPHIV Working Group
- Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
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Ownby RL, Waldrop-Valverde D, Jacobs RJ, Acevedo A, Caballero J. Cost effectiveness of a computer-delivered intervention to improve HIV medication adherence. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2013; 13:29. [PMID: 23446180 PMCID: PMC3599639 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6947-13-29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2012] [Accepted: 02/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND High levels of adherence to medications for HIV infection are essential for optimal clinical outcomes and to reduce viral transmission, but many patients do not achieve required levels. Clinician-delivered interventions can improve patients' adherence, but usually require substantial effort by trained individuals and may not be widely available. Computer-delivered interventions can address this problem by reducing required staff time for delivery and by making the interventions widely available via the Internet. We previously developed a computer-delivered intervention designed to improve patients' level of health literacy as a strategy to improve their HIV medication adherence. The intervention was shown to increase patients' adherence, but it was not clear that the benefits resulting from the increase in adherence could justify the costs of developing and deploying the intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation of development and deployment costs to the effectiveness of the intervention. METHODS Costs of intervention development were drawn from accounting reports for the grant under which its development was supported, adjusted for costs primarily resulting from the project's research purpose. Effectiveness of the intervention was drawn from results of the parent study. The relation of the intervention's effects to changes in health status, expressed as utilities, was also evaluated in order to assess the net cost of the intervention in terms of quality adjusted life years (QALYs). Sensitivity analyses evaluated ranges of possible intervention effectiveness and durations of its effects, and costs were evaluated over several deployment scenarios. RESULTS The intervention's cost effectiveness depends largely on the number of persons using it and the duration of its effectiveness. Even with modest effects for a small number of patients the intervention was associated with net cost savings in some scenarios and for durations greater than three months and longer it was usually associated with a favorable cost per QALY. For intermediate and larger assumed effects and longer durations of intervention effectiveness, the intervention was associated with net cost savings. CONCLUSIONS Computer-delivered adherence interventions may be a cost-effective strategy to improve adherence in persons treated for HIV. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01304186.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond L Ownby
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Room 1477, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316, USA.
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Gross R, Bellamy SL, Chapman J, Han X, O'Duor J, Palmer SC, Houts PS, Coyne JC, Strom BL. Managed problem solving for antiretroviral therapy adherence: a randomized trial. JAMA Intern Med 2013; 173:300-6. [PMID: 23358784 PMCID: PMC5053821 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.2152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adherence to antiretroviral therapy is critical to successful treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Few interventions have been demonstrated to improve both adherence and virologic outcomes. We sought to determine whether an intervention derived from problem solving theory, Managed Problem Solving (MAPS), would improve antiretroviral outcomes. METHODS We conducted a randomized investigator blind trial of MAPS compared with usual care in HIV-1 infected individuals at 3 HIV clinics in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Eligible patients had plasma HIV-1 viral loads greater than 1000 copies/mL and were initiating or changing therapy. Managed Problem Solving consists of 4 in-person and 12 telephone-based meetings with a trained interventionist, then monthly follow-up calls for a year. Primary outcome was medication adherence measured using electronic monitors, summarized as fraction of doses taken quarterly over 1 year. Secondary outcome was undetectable HIV viral load over 1 year. We assessed 218 for eligibility, with 190 eligible and 180 enrolled, 91 randomized to MAPS and 89 to usual care. Fifty-six participants were lost to follow-up: 33 in the MAPS group and 23 in usual care group. RESULTS In primary intention-to-treat analyses, the odds of being in a higher adherence category was 1.78 (95% CI,1.07-2.96) times greater for MAPS than usual care. In secondary analyses, the odds of an undetectable viral load was 1.48 (95% CI, 0.94-2.31) times greater for MAPS than usual care. In as-treated analyses, the effect of MAPS was stronger for both outcomes. There was neither a difference by prior treatment status nor change in effect over time. CONCLUSIONS Managed Problem Solving is an effective antiretroviral adherence intervention over the first year with a new regimen. It was equally effective at improving adherence in treatment experienced and naïve patients and did not lose effect over time. Implementation of MAPS should be strongly considered where resources are available. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00130273.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Gross
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021, USA.
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Exploring ART intake scenes in a human rights-based intervention to improve adherence: a randomized controlled trial. AIDS Behav 2013; 17:181-92. [PMID: 22527264 PMCID: PMC3548088 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-012-0175-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
To assess the effectiveness of a psychosocial individual intervention to improve adherence to ART in a Brazilian reference-center, consenting PLHIV with viral load >50 copies/ml were selected. After 4 weeks of MEMS cap use, participants were randomized into an intervention group (IG) (n = 64) or control group (CG) (n = 57). CG received usual care only. The IG participated in a human rights-based intervention approach entailing four dialogical meetings focused on medication intake scenes. Comparison between IG and CG revealed no statistically significant difference in adherence measured at weeks 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24. Viral load (VL) decreased in both groups (p < 0.0001) with no significant difference between study groups. The lower number of eligible patients than expected underpowered the study. Ongoing qualitative analysis should provide deeper understanding of the trial results. NIH Clinical Trials: NCT00716040.
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Cost effectiveness of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy goal of increasing linkage to care for HIV-infected persons. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2012; 61:99-105. [PMID: 22580563 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0b013e31825bd862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND One of the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) is to increase the proportion of HIV-infected individuals linked to care within 3 months of diagnosis (early linkage) from 65% to 85%. Earlier access to care, and eventually, to treatment, increases life expectancy and quality of life for HIV-infected persons. However, longer treatment is also associated with higher costs, especially for antiretroviral drugs. We evaluated the cost effectiveness of achieving the NHAS goal and estimated the maximum cost that HIV programs could spend on linkage to care and remain cost effective. METHODS We used the Progression and Transmission of HIV/AIDS model to estimate the effects on life measures and costs associated with increasing early linkage to care from 65% to 85%. We estimated an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio as the additional cost required to reach the target divided by the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained and assumed that programs costing $100,000 or less per QALY gained are cost effective. RESULTS Achieving the NHAS linkage-to-care goal increased life expectancy by 0.4 years and delayed the onset of AIDS by 1.2 years on average for every HIV-diagnosed person. Increasing early linkage to care cost an extra $62,200 per QALY gained, considering only benefits to index persons. The maximum that could be cost effectively spent on early linkage-to-care interventions was approximately $5100 per HIV-diagnosed person. CONCLUSIONS Considerable investment can be cost effectively made to achieve the NHAS goal on early linkage to care.
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HIV and viral hepatitis C coinfection in people who inject drugs: implications of new direct acting antivirals for hepatitis C virus treatment. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2012; 7:339-44. [PMID: 22498482 DOI: 10.1097/coh.0b013e328354131e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The recent major shift toward oral direct acting hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatments has the potential to revolutionize the global response to HCV. People who inject drugs (PWID) are a large key affected population who stand to benefit from these new medications. RECENT FINDINGS There is a large number of new drug classes and targets with activity against HCV. Although effective for HCV treatment in monoinfection and coinfection with HIV, most direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) remain within the research pipeline, with only two having achieved regulatory approval to date. Clinical trial data are not available regarding HCV treatment for PWID with DAAs. This article reviews clinical data on HCV treatment for a number of promising compounds in HCV monoinfection and coinfection with HIV and discusses the barriers facing PWID in scale-up and roll-out of DAAs in the coming years. SUMMARY DAAs have the potential to revolutionize HCV treatment. There will be significant access barriers for people who inject drugs to these new medications.
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Morrissey JP, Lich KH, Price RA, Mandelblatt J. Computational modeling and multilevel cancer control interventions. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 2012; 2012:56-66. [PMID: 22623597 DOI: 10.1093/jncimonographs/lgs014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of computational modeling as a tool for multilevel cancer care and intervention research. Model-based analyses have been conducted at various "beneath the skin" or biological scales as well as at various "above the skin" or socioecological levels of cancer care delivery. We review the basic elements of computational modeling and illustrate its applications in four cancer control intervention areas: tobacco use, colorectal cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, and racial disparities in access to breast cancer care. Most of these models have examined cancer processes and outcomes at only one or two levels. We suggest ways these models can be expanded to consider interactions involving three or more levels. Looking forward, a number of methodological, structural, and communication barriers must be overcome to create useful computational models of multilevel cancer interventions and population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Morrissey
- Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rm 126, 725 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590, USA.
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A cost analysis of an Internet-based medication adherence intervention for people living with HIV. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2012; 60:1-4. [PMID: 22362156 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0b013e318250f011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to document development costs and estimate implementation costs of an Internet-based medication adherence intervention for people living with HIV in the United States. Participants (n = 61) were enrolled in the 8-week study in 2011 and entered the intervention website remotely in the setting of their choice. Development costs were obtained from a feasibility and acceptability study of an Internet-based medication adherence intervention. Implementation costs were estimated based on an 8-week trial period during the feasibility and acceptability study. Results indicated that although developing an Internet-based medication adherence intervention is expensive, the monthly cost of implementing and delivering the intervention is low. If the efficacy of similar interventions can be established, these results suggest that Internet could be an effective method for delivering medication adherence interventions to persons residing in areas with limited access to in-person adherence services.
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Haberer JE, Robbins GK, Ybarra M, Monk A, Ragland K, Weiser SD, Johnson MO, Bangsberg DR. Real-time electronic adherence monitoring is feasible, comparable to unannounced pill counts, and acceptable. AIDS Behav 2012; 16:375-82. [PMID: 21448728 PMCID: PMC3193561 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-011-9933-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Second generation electronic medication adherence monitors provide real-time data on pill bottle opening behavior. Feasibility, validity, and acceptability, however, have not been established. Med-eMonitor is a multi-compartment adherence device with reminder and education capacity that transmits data through a telephone connection. Monthly adherence levels were measured for 52 participants over approximately 3 months using the Med-eMonitor (unadjusted and adjusted for participant confirmed dosing) and unannounced pill counts. HIV RNA was assessed before and after the 3-month period. Acceptability of Med-eMonitor was determined. Over 92% of Med-eMonitor data was transmitted daily. Unannounced pill counts significantly correlated with adjusted Med-eMonitor adherence (r = 0.29, P = 0.04). HIV RNA significantly correlated with unannounced pill counts (r = -0.34, P = 0.02), and trended toward a significant correlation with unadjusted Med-eMonitor adherence (r = -0.26; P = 0.07). Most, but not all, participants liked using the Med-eMonitor. Med-eMonitor allows for real-time adherence monitoring and potentially intervention, which may be critical for prolonging treatment success.
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Bärnighausen T, Chaiyachati K, Chimbindi N, Peoples A, Haberer J, Newell ML. Interventions to increase antiretroviral adherence in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of evaluation studies. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2011; 11:942-51. [PMID: 22030332 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(11)70181-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 199] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The success of potent antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection is primarily determined by adherence. We systematically review the evidence of effectiveness of interventions to increase adherence to antiretroviral treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. We identified 27 relevant reports from 26 studies of behavioural, cognitive, biological, structural, and combination interventions done between 2003 and 2010. Despite study diversity and limitations, evidence suggests that treatment supporters, directly observed therapy, mobile-phone text messages, diary cards, and food rations can effectively increase adherence in sub-Saharan Africa. However, some interventions are unlikely to have large or lasting effects, and others are effective only in specific settings. These findings emphasise the need for more research, particularly for randomised controlled trials, to examine the effect of context and specific features of intervention content on effectiveness. Future work should assess intervention targeting and selection of interventions based on behavioural theories relevant to sub-Saharan Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Bärnighausen
- Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mtubatuba, South Africa.
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Ingersoll KS, Farrell-Carnahan L, Cohen-Filipic J, Heckman CJ, Ceperich SD, Hettema J, Marzani-Nissen G. A pilot randomized clinical trial of two medication adherence and drug use interventions for HIV+ crack cocaine users. Drug Alcohol Depend 2011; 116:177-87. [PMID: 21306837 PMCID: PMC3102141 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Revised: 12/23/2010] [Accepted: 12/26/2010] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Crack cocaine use undermines adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This pilot randomized clinical trial tested the feasibility and efficacy of 2 interventions based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skill model to improve HAART adherence and reduce crack cocaine problems. METHODS Participants were 54 adults with crack cocaine use and HIV with <90% HAART adherence. Most participants were African-American (82%) heterosexual (59%), and crack cocaine dependent (92%). Average adherence was 58% in the past 2 weeks. Average viral loads (VL) were detectable (logVL 2.97). The interventions included 6 sessions of Motivational Interviewing plus feedback and skills building (MI+), or Video information plus debriefing (Video+) over 8 weeks. Primary outcomes were adherence by 14-day timeline follow-back and Addiction Severity Index (ASI) Drug Composite Scores at 3 and 6 months. Repeated measure ANOVA assessed main effects of the interventions and interactions by condition. RESULTS Significant increases in adherence and reductions in ASI Drug Composite Scores occurred in both conditions by 3 months and were maintained at 6 months, representing medium effect sizes. No between group differences were observed. No VL changes were observed in either group. Treatment credibility, retention, and satisfaction were high and not different by condition. CONCLUSIONS A counseling and a video intervention both improved adherence and drug problems durably among people with crack cocaine use and poor adherence in this pilot study. The interventions should be tested further among drug users with poor adherence. Video interventions may be feasible and scalable for people with HIV and drug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen S. Ingersoll
- University of Virginia Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, 1670 Discovery Drive, Suite 110, Charlottesville, VA 22911
| | - Leah Farrell-Carnahan
- University of Virginia Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, 1670 Discovery Drive, Suite 110, Charlottesville, VA 22911
| | - Jessye Cohen-Filipic
- Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Psychology, PO Box 842018, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2018
| | - Carolyn J. Heckman
- Fox Chase Cancer Center, Prevention and Control Program, Young Pavilion 4th Floor, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111
| | - Sherry D. Ceperich
- Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans’ Administration Medical Center, 1201 Broad Rock Blvd., Richmond, VA 23249
| | - Jennifer Hettema
- University of Virginia Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, 1670 Discovery Drive, Suite 110, Charlottesville, VA 22911
| | - Gabrielle Marzani-Nissen
- University of Virginia Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, 1670 Discovery Drive, Suite 110, Charlottesville, VA 22911
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Mullen BA, Cook K, Moore RD, Rand C, Galai N, McCaul ME, Glass S, Oursler KK, Lucas GM. Study design and participant characteristics of a randomized controlled trial of directly administered antiretroviral therapy in opioid treatment programs. BMC Infect Dis 2011; 11:45. [PMID: 21324133 PMCID: PMC3047295 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-11-45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2011] [Accepted: 02/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background HIV-infected drug users are at higher risk of non-adherence and poor treatment outcomes than HIV-infected non-drug users. Prior work from our group and others suggests that directly administered antiretroviral therapy (DAART) delivered in opioid treatment programs (OTPs) may increase rates of viral suppression. Methods/Design We are conducting a randomized trial comparing DAART to self-administered therapy (SAT) in 5 OTPs in Baltimore, Maryland. Participants and investigators are aware of treatment assignments. The DAART intervention is 12 months. The primary outcome is HIV RNA < 50 copies/mL at 3, 6, and 12 months. To assess persistence of any study arm differences that emerge during the active intervention, we are conducting an 18-month visit (6 months after the intervention concludes). We are collecting electronic adherence data for 2 months in both study arms. Of 457 individuals screened, a total of 107 participants were enrolled, with 56 and 51 randomly assigned to DAART and SAT, respectively. Participants were predominantly African American, approximately half were women, and the median age was 47 years. Active use of cocaine and other drugs was common at baseline. HIV disease stage was advanced in most participants. The median CD4 count at enrollment was 207 cells/mm3, 66 (62%) had a history of an AIDS-defining opportunistic condition, and 21 (20%) were antiretroviral naïve. Conclusions This paper describes the rationale, methods, and baseline characteristics of subjects enrolled in a randomized clinical trial comparing DAART to SAT in opioid treatment programs. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00279110
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette Anna Mullen
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Directly observed antiretroviral therapy improves adherence and viral load in drug users attending methadone maintenance clinics: a randomized controlled trial. Drug Alcohol Depend 2011; 113:192-9. [PMID: 20832196 PMCID: PMC3003759 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2010] [Revised: 07/30/2010] [Accepted: 07/30/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine if directly observed antiretroviral therapy (DOT) is more efficacious than self-administered therapy for improving adherence and reducing HIV viral load (VL) among methadone-maintained opioid users. DESIGN Two-group randomized trial. SETTING Twelve methadone maintenance clinics with on-site HIV care in the Bronx, New York. PARTICIPANTS HIV-infected adults prescribed combination antiretroviral therapy. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES Between group differences at four assessment points from baseline to week 24 in: (1) antiretroviral adherence measured by pill count, (2) VL, and (3) proportion with undetectable VL (< 75 copies/ml). RESULTS Between June 2004 and August 2007, we enrolled 77 participants. Adherence in the DOT group was higher than in the control group at all post-baseline assessment points; by week 24 mean DOT adherence was 86% compared to 56% in the control group (p < 0.0001). Group differences in mean adherence remained significant after stratifying by baseline VL (detectable versus undetectable). In addition, during the 24-week intervention, the proportion of DOT participants with undetectable VL increased from 51% to 71%. CONCLUSIONS Among HIV-infected opioid users, antiretroviral DOT administered in methadone clinics was efficacious for improving adherence and decreasing VL, and these improvements were maintained over a 24-week period. DOT should be more widely available to methadone patients.
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Gaur AH, Belzer M, Britto P, Garvie PA, Hu C, Graham B, Neely M, McSherry G, Spector SA, Flynn PM. Directly observed therapy (DOT) for nonadherent HIV-infected youth: lessons learned, challenges ahead. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2010; 26:947-53. [PMID: 20707731 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2010.0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adherence to medications is critical to optimizing HIV care and is a major challenge in youth. The utility of directly observed therapy (DOT) to improve adherence in youth with HIV remains undefined and prompted this pilot study. Four U.S. sites were selected for this 24-week cooperative group study to assess feasibility and to identify the logistics of providing DOT to HIV-infected youth with demonstrated adherence problems. Once-a-day DOT was provided by DOT facilitators at the participant's choice of a community-based location and DOT tapered over 12 weeks to self-administered therapy based on ongoing adherence assessments. Twenty participants, median age 21 years and median CD4 227 cells/microl, were enrolled. Participants chose their homes for 82% of DOT visits. Compliance with recommended DOT visits was (median) 91%, 91%, and 83% at weeks 4, 8, and 12, respectively. Six participants completed >90% of the study-specified DOT visits and successfully progressed to self-administered therapy (DOT success); only half sustained >90% medication adherence 12 weeks after discontinuing DOT. Participants considered DOT successes were more likely to have higher baseline depression scores (p = 0.046). Via exit surveys participants reported that meeting with the facilitator was easy, DOT increased their motivation to take medications, they felt sad when DOT ended, and 100% would recommend DOT to a friend. In conclusion, this study shows that while community-based DOT is safe, feasible, and as per participant feedback, acceptable to youth, DOT is not for all and the benefits appear short-lived. Depressed youth appear to be one subgroup that would benefit from this intervention. Study findings should help inform the design of larger community-based DOT intervention studies in youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya H. Gaur
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Marvin Belzer
- Children's Hospital-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Paula Britto
- Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Chengcheng Hu
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Bobbie Graham
- Frontier Science and Technology Research Foundation, Amherst, New York
| | - Michael Neely
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - George McSherry
- Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
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Braithwaite RS, Fiellin DA, Nucifora K, Bryant K, Roberts M, Kim N, Justice AC. Evaluating interventions to improve antiretroviral adherence: how much of an effect is required for favorable value? VALUE IN HEALTH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOECONOMICS AND OUTCOMES RESEARCH 2010; 13:535-542. [PMID: 20345544 PMCID: PMC3032536 DOI: 10.1111/j.1524-4733.2010.00714.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Uncertainty about the value of antiretroviral therapy (ARV) adherence interventions may be a barrier to implementation and evaluation. Our objective is to estimate the minimum effectiveness required for ARV adherence interventions to deliver acceptable value. METHODS We used a validated HIV computer simulation to estimate the impact of ARV adherence interventions on incremental costs and life expectancy. Across a wide range of intervention costs ($1000-10,000, one time or per year), we estimated the smallest effect size compatible with acceptable value (incremental cost-effective ratio < or =$100,000 per life-year). Effect sizes were measured using relative risk (RR) and absolute risk reduction (ARR), and these metrics were applied to nonadherence and nonadherence risk factors. Costs were estimated from a societal perspective ($2003) discounted at 3%. RESULTS To give acceptable value, a one-time $1000 intervention must reduce ARV nonadherence by RR < or = 0.82 (ARR > or = 0.04) for moderately nonadherent patients (20% of ARV doses missed) and RR < or = 0.90 (ARR > or = 0.05) for severely nonadherent patients (50% of ARV doses missed). A one-time $5000 intervention has an unacceptable value regardless of effect size for moderately nonadherent patients, and must reduce ARV nonadherence by RR <or = 0.31 (ARR > or = 0.69) for severely nonadherent patients. Interventions aimed at behavioral risk factors (e.g., unhealthy alcohol use) may confer acceptable value (e.g., if < or = $2000 and effect RR < or = 0.71 [ARR > or = 0.29]). CONCLUSIONS ARV adherence interventions with plausible effect sizes may offer favorable value if they cost <$5000 one time or per year. ARV adherence interventions with a favorable value should become more integral components of HIV care.
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Kühne FC, Chancellor J, Mollon P, Myers DE, Louie M, Powderly WG. A microsimulation of the cost-effectiveness of maraviroc for antiretroviral treatment-experienced HIV-infected individuals. HIV CLINICAL TRIALS 2010; 11:80-99. [PMID: 20542845 DOI: 10.1310/hct1102-80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Maraviroc (MVC) is the first approved CCR5 antagonist. The aim of this study was to explore the cost-effectiveness of MVC in treatment-experienced or treatment-resistant HIV-infected adults. METHODS The validated HIV microsimulation model ARAMIS was used to predict clinical and economic outcomes of treating patients with optimized background therapy (OBT) alone, as compared to a strategy of testing for the patient's viral tropism and treating with OBT with or without (+/-) MVC in a cohort corresponding to the MOTIVATE screening cohort. RESULTS Compared to treatment with OBT alone, a treatment strategy of OBT +/- MVC (twice daily) according to tropism test result was predicted to increase CD4+ cell count after 5 years (from mean 249 to 360 cells/microL), undiscounted life expectancy (7.6 to 8.9 years), and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs; from 4.99 to 5.71) for an additional $40,500, giving an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $56,400 per QALY gained. The result was relatively insensitive to alternative clinical and cost assumptions within reasonable ranges, but for individuals with HIV susceptible to only two or fewer components of OBT, the ICER decreased to $52,000 per QALY gained. CONCLUSION MVC is cost-effective, especially among individuals with few remaining options for active antiretroviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicitas C Kühne
- Health Economics and Outcomes Research, i3 Innovus, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
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Losina E, Touré H, Uhler LM, Anglaret X, Paltiel AD, Balestre E, Walensky RP, Messou E, Weinstein MC, Dabis F, Freedberg KA. Cost-effectiveness of preventing loss to follow-up in HIV treatment programs: a Côte d'Ivoire appraisal. PLoS Med 2009; 6:e1000173. [PMID: 19859538 PMCID: PMC2762030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2009] [Accepted: 09/18/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Data from HIV treatment programs in resource-limited settings show extensive rates of loss to follow-up (LTFU) ranging from 5% to 40% within 6 mo of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. Our objective was to project the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent LTFU from HIV care in West Africa. METHODS AND FINDINGS We used the Cost-Effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications (CEPAC) International model to project the clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness of LTFU-prevention programs from a payer perspective. These programs include components such as eliminating ART co-payments, eliminating charges to patients for opportunistic infection-related drugs, improving personnel training, and providing meals and reimbursing for transportation for participants. The efficacies and costs of these interventions were extensively varied in sensitivity analyses. We used World Health Organization criteria of <3x gross domestic product per capita (3x GDP per capita = US$2,823 for Côte d'Ivoire) as a plausible threshold for "cost-effectiveness." The main results are based on a reported 18% 1-y LTFU rate. With full retention in care, projected per-person discounted life expectancy starting from age 37 y was 144.7 mo (12.1 y). Survival losses from LTFU within 1 y of ART initiation ranged from 73.9 to 80.7 mo. The intervention costing US$22/person/year (e.g., eliminating ART co-payment) would be cost-effective with an efficacy of at least 12%. An intervention costing US$77/person/year (inclusive of all the components described above) would be cost-effective with an efficacy of at least 41%. CONCLUSIONS Interventions that prevent LTFU in resource-limited settings would substantially improve survival and would be cost-effective by international criteria with efficacy of at least 12%-41%, depending on the cost of intervention, based on a reported 18% cumulative incidence of LTFU at 1 y after ART initiation. The commitment to start ART and treat HIV in these settings should include interventions to prevent LTFU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Losina
- Division of General Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hapsatou Touré
- INSERM U897, Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED), Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France
| | - Lauren M. Uhler
- Division of General Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Xavier Anglaret
- INSERM U897, Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED), Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France
- Centre de Prise en charge, de Recherche et de Formation (CePReF), Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - A. David Paltiel
- Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Eric Balestre
- INSERM U897, Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED), Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France
| | - Rochelle P. Walensky
- Division of General Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- INSERM U897, Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED), Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for AIDS Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Eugène Messou
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Milton C. Weinstein
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - François Dabis
- INSERM U897, Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED), Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France
| | - Kenneth A. Freedberg
- Division of General Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- INSERM U897, Institut de Santé Publique d'Epidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED), Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for AIDS Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Fumaz CR, Muñoz-Moreno JA, Ferrer MJ, Negredo E, Pérez-Álvarez N, Tarrats A, Clotet B. Low levels of adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1-infected women with menstrual disorders. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2009; 23:463-8. [PMID: 19519230 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2009.0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We evaluated the prevalence of menstrual disorders in HIV-1-infected women and explored the association between such disorders and adherence to antiretroviral therapy, sexual functioning, and depressive symptoms in a group of HIV-1-infected women aged younger than 46 years and on antiretroviral therapy. Participants were included in a cross-sectional survey between June 2005 and December 2006. Women provided information about their menstrual cycle and adherence in a single visit and responded to the Greene Climacteric Scale, the Massachusetts General Hospital Sexual Functioning Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory. Women with and without menstrual disorders were compared using parametric and nonparametric tests. A multivariate stepwise logistic regression model was developed. The participants were 107 Caucasian women with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 39 years (IQR, 36-42 years) and a median CD4 cell count of 483 cells/mm(3) (IQR, 332-679 cells/mm(3)). The viral load was below 50 copies per milliliter in 76.6% of the women. Sixty-four percent of the women had acquired HIV-1 infection through sexual intercourse. Menstrual disorders, observed in 32% of participants, were more frequent in women with detectable viral loads (p = 0.018). Women with menstrual disorders reported worse adherence (p = 0.005) and more sexual dysfunction (p < 0.05). Sixty-nine percent of the women who attributed their menstrual disorders to the use of antiretrovirals had inadequate adherence. Depressive symptoms were not observed. Vasomotor symptoms (p = 0.004), having a detectable viral load (p = 0.03) and adherence less than 95% (p = 0.02) were predictors of menstrual disorder. A third of the HIV-1-infected women assessed had menstrual disorders that impacted negatively on adherence to therapy and sexual function. The subjective attribution of these irregularities to antiretrovirals seems to affect medication intake, possibly favoring negative clinical consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmina R. Fumaz
- Lluita contra la SIDA Foundation, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
- HIV Unit, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose A. Muñoz-Moreno
- Lluita contra la SIDA Foundation, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María José Ferrer
- HIV Unit, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eugenia Negredo
- Lluita contra la SIDA Foundation, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
- HIV Unit, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Núria Pérez-Álvarez
- Lluita contra la SIDA Foundation, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
- Statistics and Operations Research Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antoni Tarrats
- HIV Unit, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract
This paper develops a mathematical/economic framework to address the following question: Given a particular population, a specific HIV prevention program, and a fixed amount of funds that could be invested in the program, how much money should be invested? We consider the impact of investment in a prevention program on the HIV sufficient contact rate (defined via production functions that describe the change in the sufficient contact rate as a function of expenditure on a prevention program), and the impact of changes in the sufficient contact rate on the spread of HIV (via an epidemic model). In general, the cost per HIV infection averted is not constant as the level of investment changes, so the fact that some investment in a program is cost effective does not mean that more investment in the program is cost effective. Our framework provides a formal means for determining how the cost per infection averted changes with the level of expenditure. We can use this information as follows: When the program has decreasing marginal cost per infection averted (which occurs, for example, with a growing epidemic and a prevention program with increasing returns to scale), it is optimal either to spend nothing on the program or to spend the entire budget. When the program has increasing marginal cost per infection averted (which occurs, for example, with a shrinking epidemic and a prevention program with decreasing returns to scale), it may be optimal to spend some but not all of the budget. The amount that should be spent depends on both the rate of disease spread and the production function for the prevention program. We illustrate our ideas with two examples: that of a needle exchange program, and that of a methadone maintenance program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret L. Brandeau
- Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, Phone: (650)-725-1623, Fax: (650)-723-1614,
| | - Gregory S. Zaric
- Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, Phone: (650)-725-1623, Fax: (650)-723-1614,
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Effect of incentives for medication adherence on health care use and costs in methadone patients with HIV. Drug Alcohol Depend 2009; 100:115-21. [PMID: 19054631 PMCID: PMC2715338 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2008.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2008] [Revised: 09/22/2008] [Accepted: 09/23/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The potential benefits of anti-retroviral therapy for HIV is not fully realized because of difficulties in adherence with demanding treatment regimens, especially among injection drug users. METHODS HIV-positive methadone patients who were less than 80% adherent with their primary anti-retroviral therapy were randomized to a trial of incentives for on-time adherence. Adherence was rewarded with an escalating scale of vouchers redeemable for goods. Both intervention and control group visited a medication coach twice a month. The cost of the intervention was determined by micro-costing. Other costs were obtained from administrative data and patient report of out-of-system care. RESULTS During the 12-week intervention period, the incremental direct cost of the intervention, including treatment vouchers, was $942. The voucher group incurred $2572 in anti-retroviral drug cost, significantly more than the $1973 incurred by the comparison group (p<.01). Adherence, as measured by on-time openings of an electronically monitored vial, was 78% in the intervention group and 56% in the control group. CONCLUSIONS The incremental direct cost of voucher incentives was $292 per month. If the observed increase in adherence from voucher incentives can be sustained in the long-term, the literature suggests that disease progression will be slowed. Further research is needed to evaluate if the improvement can be sustained or achieved at lower cost. Mitigation of treatment resistance and reduction in HIV transmission are additional benefits that favor adoption.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A. Diamond
- From the Division of Cardiology (G.A.D., S.K.) and the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (S.K.), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the David Geffen School of Medicine (G.A.D.), University of California, Los Angeles, Calif
| | - Sanjay Kaul
- From the Division of Cardiology (G.A.D., S.K.) and the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (S.K.), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the David Geffen School of Medicine (G.A.D.), University of California, Los Angeles, Calif
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Kauf TL, Roskell N, Shearer A, Gazzard B, Mauskopf J, Davis EA, Nimsch C. A predictive model of health state utilities for HIV patients in the modern era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. VALUE IN HEALTH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOECONOMICS AND OUTCOMES RESEARCH 2008; 11:1144-1153. [PMID: 18494750 DOI: 10.1111/j.1524-4733.2008.00326.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Existing estimates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related health state utilities are inadequate for comparing alternative treatments on the basis of regimen-specific attributes such as dosing requirements or tolerability. The objective of this study was to examine the marginal impact of dosing, adverse events (AEs), and other factors on patients' health state utilities. METHODS Treatment naive and experienced HIV patients participating in five open-label trials of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) completed the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) instrument at various time points. SF-36 responses were converted to utilities using a previously reported algorithm. Expected utilities were estimated as a function of patient demographics, regimen attributes, disease status, and AEs using a mixed-effects maximum likelihood model. Mean utilities for five HIV health states were derived from predicted patient utilities. RESULTS Negative predictors of utility included greater age (-0.001), prior acquired immune deficiency syndrome-defining events (-0.036), female gender (-0.038), and injection drug use (-0.056; P < 0.01 for all). Utility also depended on CD4+ cell count (P < 0.01), but not the presence of undetectable viral load. Regimen attributes were marginally associated with changes in utility. Depression was associated with the largest decrease in utility (-0.054, P < 0.001) among the AEs examined. Using the model to generate predicted utilities from the sample provided mean estimates ranging from 0.742 (SD 0.058) to 0.798 (0.052) for CD4+ counts between 0 and 99 and > or =500 cells/mm(3), respectively. CONCLUSIONS HIV patients' health-related quality of life may be substantially affected by clinically relevant patient-, disease-, and treatment-related factors, such as injection drug use, disease status, food/drink restrictions, and AEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa L Kauf
- Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes & Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0496, USA.
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Gross R, Bilker WB, Wang H, Chapman J. How long is the window of opportunity between adherence failure and virologic failure on efavirenz-based HAART? HIV CLINICAL TRIALS 2008; 9:202-6. [PMID: 18547907 DOI: 10.1310/hct0903-202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The time between onset of nonadherence and onset of virological failure is unknown. However, this information is critical to the design, implementation, and testing of interventions aiming to forestall treatment failure. METHOD We conducted an observational cohort study of 116 HIV-infected adults with virological suppression on efavirenz-based regimens. Patients were seen monthly and censored at virological failure (>1000 copies/mL) or 12 months, whichever came first. Adherence was measured using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). Percent of doses taken was summarized for 90-day periods. We assessed 4 adherence periods: immediately prior to censor, and then 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days prior to censor. RESULTS Adherence was significantly lower for patients with virological failure (n=7) than those without virological failure (n=99) at all time points assessed. These differences were statistically significant even up to 90 days prior to the virologic failure date (failure group 57% vs. nonfailure group 95%; p= .03). CONCLUSION The window between the onset of nonadherence and virological failure can be as long as 90 days. This will allow substantial time for interventions to be implemented and to take effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Gross
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6021, USA.
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Bradley-Ewing A, Thomson D, Pinkston M, Goggin KJ. A qualitative examination of the indirect effects of modified directly observed therapy on health behaviors other than adherence. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2008; 22:663-8. [PMID: 18627279 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2007.0190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Modified directly observed therapy (mDOT), in which a portion of doses in a medication regimen are ingested under supervision, has had some demonstrated success in improving the high levels of adherence necessary to achieve maximum benefit from antiretroviral medications. Consistent with the Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills (IMB) model, mDOT's success is likely due to its direct impact on patients' knowledge, motivation, and behaviors related to adherence. However, mDOT's potential impact on patients' information, motivation, and behaviors related to health activities other than adherence to antiretroviral medications has not been explored. Data from participants enrolled in Project MOTIV8, a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of novel behavioral adherence interventions, were analyzed to explore the potential impact of mDOT on health behaviors other than adherence. Participants were recruited from local HIV clinics from 2004-2008. Thirty-four percent of those approached, agreed to participate in the study. Data from all participants randomized to the mDOT intervention arm thus far (n = 50, mean age 39.7 standard deviation [SD] = 9.0, 78% male 64% African American, and 86% infected via sexual transmission) were included. Overall, participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the mDOT intervention. Qualitative data revealed that mDOT had a positive impact on participants' adherence to nonantiretroviral medications as well as their involvement and communication with health care providers. In addition, participants reported that the daily mDOT visits had indirect effects on their daily functioning, including improvements in their daily living activities (e.g., earlier awakenings, getting dressed, and cleaning their homes) and an increased level of community involvement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Domonique Thomson
- Project MOTIV8, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Megan Pinkston
- Project MOTIV8, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Kathy J. Goggin
- Project MOTIV8, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
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Wise J, Operario D. Use of electronic reminder devices to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy: a systematic review. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2008; 22:495-504. [PMID: 18462071 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2007.0180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adherence to prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ART) is one of the strongest predictors of progression to AIDS and death among people living with HIV/AIDS. Incorrect or inconsistent adherence to ART compromises the effectiveness of medications in achieving viral suppression. The objective of this review is to systematically and critically appraise existing evidence on the use of electronic reminder devices (ERDs) to improve adherence to ART among people living with HIV/AIDS. Twelve electronic databases not limited by language or nationality were systematically searched using a combination of relevant search criteria through early August 2007. Primary outcomes of interest were level of adherence and virologic or immunologic response. Ten intervention studies, 5 qualitative studies, and 6 unpublished studies presented in conference abstracts were included. Methodological limitations across the 15 published studies precluded meta-analysis. Evidence that patient adherence to ART was significantly improved with the use of an ERD was reported in 4 of the 8 included studies that examined ERD use as a stand-alone adherence strategy. Patient satisfaction with devices was noted across studies, and conflicting evidence of improved virological and immunological outcomes was reported in the two studies that included such measures. The authors conclude that there is a lack of definitive data resulting in insufficient evidence about the effectiveness of ERDs as strategies for improving patient adherence to antiretroviral medications. Further and more rigorous research is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Wise
- Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Don Operario
- Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Bangsberg D. Preventing HIV Antiretroviral Resistance through Better Monitoring of Treatment Adherence. J Infect Dis 2008; 197 Suppl 3:S272-8. [DOI: 10.1086/533415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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Zaric GS, Bayoumi AM, Brandeau ML, Owens DK. The cost-effectiveness of counseling strategies to improve adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy among men who have sex with men. Med Decis Making 2008; 28:359-76. [PMID: 18349433 DOI: 10.1177/0272989x07312714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Inadequate adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may lead to poor health outcomes and the development of HIV strains that are resistant to HAART. The authors developed a model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of counseling interventions to improve adherence to HAART among men who have sex with men (MSM). METHODS The authors developed a dynamic compartmental model that incorporates HIV treatment, adherence to treatment, and infection transmission and progression. All data estimates were obtained from secondary sources. The authors evaluated a counseling intervention given prior to initiation of HAART and before all changes in drug regimens, combined with phone-in support while on HAART. They considered a moderate-prevalence and a high-prevalence population of MSM. RESULTS If the impact of HIV transmission is ignored, the counseling intervention has a cost-effectiveness ratio of $25,500 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. When HIV transmission is included, the cost-effectiveness ratio is much lower: $7400 and $8700 per QALY gained in the moderate- and high-prevalence populations, respectively. When the intervention is twice as costly per counseling session and half as effective as estimated in the base case (in terms of the number of individuals who become highly adherent, and who remain highly adherent), then the intervention costs $17,100 and $19,600 per QALY gained in the 2 populations, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Counseling to improve adherence to HAART increased length of life, modestly reduced HIV transmission, and cost substantially less than $50,000 per QALY gained over a wide range of assumptions but did not reduce the proportion of drug-resistant strains. Such counseling provides only modest benefit as a tool for HIV prevention but can provide significant benefit for individual patients at an affordable cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S Zaric
- Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
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Effects of Depression and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Use on Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and on Clinical Outcomes in HIV-Infected Patients. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2008; 47:384-90. [DOI: 10.1097/qai.0b013e318160d53e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Sansom SL, Anthony MN, Garland WH, Squires KE, Witt MD, Kovacs Andrea A, Larsen RA, Valencia R, Pals SL, Hader S, Weidle PJ, Wohl AR. The costs of HIV antiretroviral therapy adherence programs and impact on health care utilization. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2008; 22:131-8. [PMID: 18260804 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2006.0216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
From a trial comparing interventions to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy-directly administered antiretroviral therapy (DAART) or an intensive adherence case management (IACM)-to standard of care (SOC), for HIV-infected participants at public HIV clinics in Los Angeles County, California, we examined the cost of adherence programs and associated health care utilization. We assessed differences between DAART, IACM, and SOC in the rate of hospitalizations, hospital days, and outpatient and emergency department visits during an average of 1.7 years from study enrollment, beginning November 2001. We assigned costs to health care utilization and program delivery. We calculated incremental costs of DAART or IACM v SOC, and compared those costs with savings in health care utilization among participants in the adherence programs. IACM participants experienced fewer hospital days compared with SOC (2.3 versus 6.7 days/1000 person-days, incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.34, 97.5% confidence interval [CI]: 0.13-0.87). DAART participants had more outpatient visits than SOC (44.2 versus 31.5/1000 person-days, IRR: 1.4; 97.5% CI: 1.01-1.95). Average per-participant health care utilization costs were $13,127, $8,988, and $14,416 for DAART, IACM, and SOC, respectively. Incremental 6-month program costs were $2,120 and $1,653 for DAART and IACM participants, respectively. Subtracting savings in health care utilization from program costs resulted in an average net program cost of $831 per DAART participant; and savings of $3,775 per IACM participant. IACM was associated with a significant decrease in hospital days compared to SOC and was cost saving when program costs were compared to savings in health care utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wendy H. Garland
- HIV Epidemiology Program, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, California
| | - Kathleen E. Squires
- Los Angeles County/University of Southern California (USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Mallory D. Witt
- University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California
| | - A. Kovacs Andrea
- Los Angeles County/University of Southern California (USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Robert A. Larsen
- Los Angeles County/University of Southern California (USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Rosa Valencia
- HIV Epidemiology Program, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, California
| | - Sherri L. Pals
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Shannon Hader
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Paul J. Weidle
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Amy R. Wohl
- HIV Epidemiology Program, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, California
- Department of Preventive Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
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Gardner EM, Maravi ME, Rietmeijer C, Davidson AJ, Burman WJ. The association of adherence to antiretroviral therapy with healthcare utilization and costs for medical care. APPLIED HEALTH ECONOMICS AND HEALTH POLICY 2008; 6:145-155. [PMID: 19231907 PMCID: PMC2688446 DOI: 10.1007/bf03256129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The association between antiretroviral adherence, healthcare utilization and medical costs has not been well studied. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship of adherence to antiretroviral medications to healthcare utilization and healthcare costs. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from 325 previously antiretroviral medication-naive HIV-infected individuals initiating first antiretroviral therapy from 1997 through 2003. The setting was an inner-city safety net hospital and HIV clinic in the US. Adherence was assessed using pharmacy refill data. The average wholesale price was used for prescription costs. Healthcare utilization data and medical costs were obtained from the hospital billing database, and differences according to quartile of adherence were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess predictors of higher annual medical costs. Sensitivity analyses were used to examine alternative antiretroviral pricing schemes. The perspective was that of the healthcare provider, and costs were in year 2005 values. RESULTS In 325 patients followed for a mean (+/- SD) 3.2 (1.9) years, better adherence was associated with lower healthcare utilization but higher total medical costs. Annual non-antiretroviral medical costs were $US 7,612 in the highest adherence quartile versus $US 10,190 in the lowest adherence quartile. However, antiretroviral costs were significantly higher in the highest adherence quartile ($US 17,513 vs $US 8,690), and therefore the total annual medical costs were also significantly higher in the highest versus lowest adherence quartile ($US 25,125 vs $US 18,880). In multivariate analysis, for every 10% increase in adherence, the odds of having annual medical costs in the highest versus lowest quartile increased by 87% (odds ratio 1.87; 95% CI 1.45, 2.40). In sensitivity analyses, very low antiretroviral prices (as seen in resource-limited settings) inverted this relationship - excellent adherence was cost saving. CONCLUSION Better adherence to antiretroviral medication was associated with decreased healthcare utilization and associated costs; however, because of the high cost of antiretroviral therapy, total medical costs were increased. Combination antiretroviral therapy is known to be cost effective; lower antiretroviral costs may make it cost saving as well.
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