Strategies to help AIDS patients take medicines are cost effective

The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection depends on how well patients adhere to complicated drug regimens. Researchers found that among patients with lower levels of adherence to their medication regimen, even very expensive, moderately effective adherence interventions are likely to offer cost-effective benefits that compare favorably with other interventions in HIV disease. The study appeared in the November 2003 edition of the American Journal of Medicine.   The researchers found that for patients with early-stage disease, interventions of $500 per month were cost-effective, while for intermediate and even late-stage patients, even more costly ($1,000 per month) interventions could still result in favorable cost-effectiveness ratios.   The research team was led by Sue Goldie of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health. The research team included Milton C. Weinstein, Kenneth A. Freedberg, of the Harvard School of Public Health, along with members from the Yale University School of Medicine, Boston University School of Public Health, the Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.