The affordability of antiretroviral therapy in developing countries: what policymakers need to know.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this paper is to assist policymakers in developing countries and international donors by providing an outline of economic information needed to make a decision regarding the purchase of drugs to provide highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).


METHODS
The following paper: (i) reviews existing experiences of policymakers in developing countries regarding the purchase of drugs needed for HAART, (ii) identifies issues that would need to be addressed and data that would be required to make more informed decisions regarding this issue, (iii) develops a cost-benefit model that could be utilized in designing an economic research project evaluating the economic costs and benefits of HAART, and (iv) performs a preliminary test of this model with data from Costa Rica.


RESULTS
A review of experiences with this issue reveals that there are growing political, legal and budgetary pressures for countries to make tenable decisions regarding the purchase of drugs for HAART. An economic model describing the costs and benefits of HAART is proposed, although much of the required data for using such a model is currently neither available or in the process of being collected.


CONCLUSIONS
It is imperative that economic data be collected to better inform policymakers in developing countries about their decision regarding the purchase of these drugs. It is recommended that such economic data be collected as organizations such as the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS) initiate their medical assessments of HAART in developing countries.
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AIDSCAP/Family Health International.
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003906:Developing Countries; D016527:Drug Costs; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D018803:Models, Economic; D011050:Policy Making; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors