AIDS Breakthrough as Study Says Treatment Should Cost Less (The Guardian)

CGD's partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative was referenced in a Guardian piece on AIDS.

From the article:

Former US president Bill Clinton hailed the findings as evidence that all 15 million people with HIV in need of treatment could affordably get it – the target for 2015. At the moment, 8 million are being treated. "We now have compelling evidence that universal access to high-quality HIV treatment is achievable, sustainable, and within our means," said Clinton.

"Together, the costing study and price reductions open the door to scaling up and sustaining services for the 7 million people who currently lack access to HIV treatment. Providing treatment will save lives and help prevent the spread of HIV."

CHAI worked with the Centre for Global Development and the governments of those African countries involved to collect data from 161 health facilities for the last financial year on record – mostly 2010.

The original aim of the study was to find out whether there was any potential to reduce waste, cut costs and save money, but researchers found salaries and other costs were already so low that this was unlikely, except possibly in South Africa.

Average costs per patient were lowest in Malawi, at $136 a year. That rose to $186 in Ethiopia, $232 in Rwanda and $278 in Zambia. Nearly half the cost, on average, was the price of drugs – which will increase slightly as countries begin to use more effective and more expensive drugs now recommended by the World Health Organisation. CHAI, however, is about to announce a deal with generic drug companies, which will reduce tenofovir-based regimens, which are the "gold-standard" in the USA and recommended by the World Health Organisation, to $125 from $339 in 2007. CHAI says this will save countries over $500 million between now and 2015.

Read it here.