Jump to: Page Content, Site Navigation, Site Search,
You are seeing this message because your web browser does not support basic web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing and what you can do to make your experience on this site better.
BMJ 2007;335:60 (14 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.39269.490255.BE
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Policymakers should consider not the cost of developing a vaccine against HIV, but the cost to society if it fails to develop one.1
In the developed world, some patients on antiretroviral treatment will develop drug resistance and the number will be cumulative each year. Medical care costs will increase exponentially for drug resistant patients, greatly exceeding the price of treatments.
Primary HIV-1 drug resistance ranges from 6.6% in Brazil to 10% in Spain to 27.7% in North America,2 perhaps because of more frequent testing in developed countries.
Yet, this may be a portent of what will come in the developing world. By the end of this year, two million people will probably be on AIDS treatment. Many come from resource limited settings, where initial testing is limited, adherence is problematic, and substandard drugs are used as first line treatment. Suboptimal adherence is the most important factor in virological failure. Adherence
Jeremiah Norris, director
Center For Science in Public Policy, Hudson Institute, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Jeannie@hudson.org