Early ART cost effectiveness in resource-poor settings

A study published in PLoS Medicine shows "that the new WHO guidelines for early [antiretroviral treatment (ART)] initiation can be cost-effective in resource-poor settings, information that should help policymakers in developing countries allocate their often limited resources," according to a PLoS press release. Bruce Schackman of Weill Cornell Medical College and colleagues used randomized clinical trial data from Haiti to compare early versus standard ART for HIV, the release notes. "Financial and operational resources should be prioritized so that resource-poor countries are able to implement the new WHO guidelines, which recommend treatment for all HIV-infected patients with CD4 cell counts 350 cells/mm3," the authors state (9/20).