title: Treatment strategies for treatment naïve HIV patients in Germany: evidence from claims data.
abstract: A recent observational study of HIV patients in Germany suggests that treatment naïve patients that are in a more advanced stage of their disease are more likely to receive a treatment regimen based on a boosted protease inhibitor (PI/r) compared with a non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase-inhibitor (NNRTI) base regimen. To validate those results we analysed claims data of seven German sickness funds from 2009 to 2012 with approximately 4 million beneficiaries. Patients in a more advanced disease state (CDC class C) had a higher likelihood to receive a PI/r based regime rather than a NNRTI based regimen as their initial treatment. There was also a significant correlation between PI/r based regimen and number of comorbidities but not with age. Our results confirm a highly significant relationship between being in a more severe stage of HIV disease and a PI/r based treatment regimen.
authors.affiliation: Janssen K.K., Tokyo, Japan ; Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE), Heinrich-Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mahlich
authors.affiliation: Med. Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Sektion Klinische Infektiologie, University Hospital of Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bogner
authors.affiliation: Janssen-Cilag, Neuss, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tomeczkowski
authors.affiliation: Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stoll
keywords: AIDS; Antiretroviral treatment; Claims data; Decision; HIV infection; NNRTI; PI; Real world evidence