CDC models show scaling up ART for HIV treatment can save money over time

During a webinar Thursday hosted by the Health Global Access Project, AVAC, and amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research), John Blandford, chief of CDC's Division of Global HIV/AIDS Health Economics, Systems and Integration Branch, presented findings showing "that scaling up antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in the developing world not only saves lives, but saves money too," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports. According to the blog, "[Blandford] and his team of colleagues have found that cost savings from averted negative outcomes offset a major portion of the cost of treatment over time." The blog quotes Blandford saying, "Based on [WHO] standards, ART should be considered highly cost-effective in almost every country in sub-Saharan Africa" (Mazzotta, 1/27).