Economic Burden of HIV in a Commercially Insured Population in the United States

Abstract

Background: With advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART), people with HIV infection are living longer. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce HIV infection risk continues to be underutilized in high-risk individuals. Recent data on economic burden for patients with newly diagnosed HIV-1 or initiated with PrEP are limited. Objectives: To assess characteristics, healthcare resource utilization (HRU), and costs among adults and adolescents either with newly diagnosed HIV-1 or initiated with PrEP. Methods: This retrospective observational study utilized data from the IBM MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters database. Adults with newly diagnosed HIV-1 or those initiated with PrEP were included (index date was the first HIV diagnosis or PrEP prescription, respectively, between January 1, 2016, and April 30, 2021). Corresponding cohorts of adolescents were considered exploratory. Descriptive analyses were conducted to assess baseline demographics and clinical characteristics, and all-cause and HIV-related HRU and costs per patient per month (PPPM) during follow-up. Results: Data from 18 154 adults and 220 adolescents with newly diagnosed HIV and 34 123 adults and 175 adolescents initiated with PrEP were included. Approximately 70% of adolescents and 9% of adults receiving PrEP were female. Baseline depression/anxiety was present in 16.1% and 24.6% of adults and 14.5% and 45.1% of adolescents in the HIV and PrEP cohorts, respectively. Substance abuse in the HIV and PrEP cohorts, respectively, was reported in 10.1% and 7.0% of adults, and 2.7% and 17.7% of adolescents. During follow-up, among adults with newly diagnosed HIV, mean (SD) total all-cause and HIV-related PPPM costs were $2657 ($5954) and $1497 ($4463), respectively; pharmacy costs represented 47% of all-cause costs and 67% of HIV-related costs, but only 37% of patients had an HIV-related prescription. All-cause costs PPPM for adults with PrEP were $1761 ($1938), with pharmacy costs accounting for 71%. Conclusions: Despite advances in ART, patients with newly diagnosed HIV and at-risk patients receiving PrEP continue to incur HRU costs. The chronic nature of HIV warrants further exploration of factors contributing to disease burden and opportunities to improve prevention strategies.