Healthy Skepticism Library item: 8240

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Hicks AR, Jackson MW, Barnard JF.
Pharmacoeconomic strategies for treating HIV patients in an indigent clinic
ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting 1997 Dec; 32:

Abstract:

The cost of providing drug therapy to HIV patients is staggering. Most patients at our institution, who meet compliance guidelines, are on triple antiretroviral therapy at an average cost of $800/month. Many of our patients are also on prophylaxis therapy for MAC, PCP, and Candidiasis which can add an additional $250 or more per month to the cost of therapy. This report explains the methods used to provide prescription assistance to our HIV patients and how we were able to obtain over $84,000 of medications for 58 patients through pharmaceutical manufacturers’ assistance programs. Furthermore, by utilizing these patient assistance programs, we were able to justify the cost of a clinical pharmacist in the Retroviral Disease Clinic to provide these and other clinical services to this patient population.