In 2014 the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) established 90-90-90 treatment targets for the treatment of HIV. These goals include 90 percent of people with HIV will know their status; 90 percent will receive appropriate treatment; and 90 percent will suppress the virus. Steven Forsythe of Avenir Health and coauthors evaluated data used by UNAIDS to calculate that in the period 1995-2015, antiretroviral therapy (ART) averted 9.5 million deaths worldwide, with global economic benefits of $1.05 trillion. The authors also found that for every $1 spent on ART, $3.50 in benefits was realized globally. Including future projections, the authors estimated that in 1995-2030, approximately 40.2 million new HIV infections could be averted (more than twice as many deaths as occurred during World War I), with economic gains reaching $4.02 trillion in 2030. With different countries achieving different results for the different targets, the authors recommend analyses of national treatment program performance to enhance overall benefits and efficiency.
Also in the issue:
Epidemiological And Health Systems Implications Of Evolving HIV And Hypertension In South Africa And Kenya; Brianna Osetinsky of Brown University and coauthors
The Impact Of Price Regulation On The Availability Of New Drugs In Germany; Ariel Stern of Harvard Business School and coauthors