AIDS Exceptionalism
Authors: Richard Frothingham
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Letters5 January 1999AIDS ExceptionalismMary Bessesen, MD, Marianne McCollum, RPh, and BCBSMary Bessesen, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Marianne McCollum, RPhSearch for more papers by this author, and BCBSSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-130-1-199901050-00029 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Casarett and Lantos provide a well-written summary of the approaches to the funding problems created by the AIDS epidemic and a thoughtful ethical consideration of the issues (1). They correctly point out that the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) increased pharmaceutical costs significantly. However, they did not consider the impact of HAART on other costs of care for HIV disease. We and others have reported a decrease in hospitalization rates and costs in the HAART era (2-4). At the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, the overall cost of HIV care has remained essentially ...References1. Casarett DJ, Lantos JD. Have we treated AIDS too well? Rationing and the future of AIDS exceptionalism. Ann Intern Med. 1998;128:756-9. LinkGoogle Scholar2. McCollum M, Klaus B, Larue R, Bessesen M. HAART reduced overall costs of HIV care at DVAMC-Denver [Abstract]. Abstracts of the Fifth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, 1-5 February 1998, Chicago. 1998; 116. Google Scholar3. Keiser P, Kvanm M, Turner D, Smith JW, Nassar NN, Gregg CR. Decreased hospital utilization and costs are associated with protease inhibitor therapy but not with nucleoside therapy [Abstract]. Abstracts of the Fifth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, 1-5 February 1998, Chicago. 1998; 117. Google Scholar4. Torres RA, Barr M. Impact of combination therapy for HIV infection on inpatient census [Letter]. N Engl J Med. 1997;336:1531-2. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Moore RD, Bartlett JG. Combination antiretroviral therapy in HIV infection. An economic perspective. Pharmacoeconomics. 1996;10:109-13. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Mary Bessesen, MD; Marianne McCollum, RPh; BCBSAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoHave We Treated AIDS Too Well? Rationing and the Future of AIDS Exceptionalism David J. Casarett and John D. Lantos AIDS Exceptionalism Richard Frothingham AIDS Exceptionalism David Casarett and John Lantos AIDS Exceptionalism Robert K. Bolan Metrics Cited by“AIDS is Money”: How Donor Preferences Reconfigure Local Realities 5 January 1999Volume 130, Issue 1Page: 79-80KeywordsAIDSAngiotensin converting enzyme inhibitorAntiretroviral therapyCoronary artery bypass graftingHIVHeart failureHighly active antiretroviral therapyHospitalizationsMedical servicesPatients ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 5 January 1999 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1999 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...