Is post-exposure prophylaxis affordable?

• Published in: AIDS (London) Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 325 - 338
• Main Authors: PINKERTON, S. D, HOLTGRAVE, D. R, KAHN, J. G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 18.02.2000
• Subjects: AIDS/HIV; Anti-HIV Agents - economics; Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antiviral agents; Biological and medical sciences; Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); Cost-Benefit Analysis; Drug Costs; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - transmission; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; post-exposure prophylaxis; Sexual Partners; United States; United States; Human; Immunopathology; Chemoprophylaxis; Transmission; AIDS; Exposure; Sexual intercourse; Immune deficiency; Infection; Prevention; Health economy; Viral disease; Sex partner; Antiviral; Public health; Cost efficiency analysis
• ISSN: 0269-9370; 1473-5571
• DOI: 10.1097/00002030-200002180-00016

Although a previous analysis has shown that the use of antiretroviral drugs for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against HIV after suspected sexual exposure could be cost-effective, if restricted to regular partners of HIV-infected persons, to patients reporting unprotected receptive anal intercourse (including condom breakage), and possibly to cases in which there is a substantial likelihood that the partner is infected, the careful analysis by Low-Beer and colleagues of the cost of providing PEP to high-risk men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vancouver British Columbia's West End is the first study to examine the affordability of this strategy. Their analysis indicates that making PEP available to this relatively small population of men could quickly exhaust available funding.