Cubic News

HIV treatment: earlier is better

June 2011

The results of a new major international study may lead to more patients being treated with HIV therapies earlier in the course of their disease.  At an average treatment cost of $15,000 CAD per individual per year, and with side-effects ranging from nausea and diarrhea to liver damage and weakened bones, the current standard is that HIV patients start treatment once the strength of their immune system drops below a specified level.

Preliminary results of this nine-nation study reported that HIV patients who started treatment immediately after diagnosis were 96% less likely to spread the virus to their uninfected partners.  The findings were so significant that the US National Institutes of Health stopped the study four years ahead of schedule to spread the word.

That said, condoms are still essential for protection and prevention.  Thomas Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that “HIV-positive people cannot assume they are not infectious simply because they are already on treatment medications.”

Given the results of this study, it is likely that doctors will start recommending treatment to HIV patients earlier, before they are too sick, to help reduce their risk of spreading the HIV/AIDS virus.  What this means for plan sponsors is that these expensive specialty claims can be expected to start hitting the plan sooner, and ultimately last longer within their experience.

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