New Study Finds That Phenotypic HIV Drug Resistance Testing Can Reduce
Healthcare Costs While Improving Patient Outcomes
NEW ORLEANS, Sep 8, 2000 (BW HealthWire) --
Data Presented at IDSA Annual Meeting Reinforce Benefit of
Phenotypic Resistance Testing
Use of phenotypic HIV drug resistance testing can reduce costs associated with
HIV treatment while improving patient outcomes, according to new
pharmacoeconomic data presented here today at the 38th Annual Meeting of the
Infectious Diseases Society of America.
The study was conducted by researchers from The Lewin Group and ViroLogic, Inc.
(NASDAQ: VLGC).
"HIV/AIDS is one of the most expensive infectious diseases to treat," said
Christopher Santas, Senior Vice President of The Lewin Group and co-author of
the study. "Phenotypic testing can be a valuable tool both in improving patient
outcomes and reducing treatment costs."
Phenotypic tests, such as ViroLogic's PhenoSense(TM) HIV, can assist physicians
in the selection of optimal treatments to improve therapeutic outcomes for
patients by directly measuring the susceptibility or resistance of a patient's
virus to antiviral drugs. The tests are also used by pharmaceutical companies
developing new drugs for HIV infection.
The authors of the study presented here used a decision-analytic model based on
data derived from clinical studies of resistance testing and HIV, health cost
databases, and expert opinion, to compare the costs of treatment decisions made
with the benefit of phenotypic drug resistance testing with the costs of
treatment decisions made without resistance testing. The analysis focused on HIV
patients who had failed their first highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
regimen. Using this model, the researchers predicted the rates of sustained
treatment success, as well as two-year medical costs for each patient management
arm.
According to the model, 55% of patients receiving phenotypic drug resistance
testing would be expected to experience sustained treatment success over two
years, compared to 29% of those not receiving phenotypic testing. At the same
time, medical costs related to HIV for the non-phenotypic group would total
$40,724 per patient over a two-year period. In the group receiving phenotypic
testing, medical costs would total $38,703--a savings of $2,021 per patient for
those using phenotypic testing to guide treatment.
The researchers concluded that "phenotypic resistance testing results in
improved treatment success and reduced total healthcare costs compared with
empiric treatment for patients who have previously failed a protease
inhibitor-containing HAART regimen."
"This study contributes to the growing body of research demonstrating the
clinical and economic benefits of phenotypic HIV drug resistance testing," said
Bill Young, Chairman and CEO of ViroLogic. "Healthcare providers and payers know
that it is rare for a single technology to improve outcomes while simultaneously
reducing costs; these data show the advantages of phenotypic testing for
patients, physicians, and payers."
The Lewin Group, a division of Quintiles Transnational Corp. (NASDAQ: QTRN), is
a leading international healthcare consulting firm specializing in research,
policy and management, medical technology and health economics, and all aspects
of regulatory consulting.
About ViroLogic
ViroLogic is a biotechnology company developing and marketing innovative
products to guide and improve treatment of viral diseases. The Company's
proprietary technology, called PhenoSense(TM), tests for drug resistance and
susceptibility in viruses that cause serious diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis B
and hepatitis C.
ViroLogic's first product, PhenoSense(TM) HIV, is a test that directly and
quantitatively measures resistance of a patient's HIV to antiviral drugs. The
test results provide physicians with key information to select appropriate drugs
for their HIV patients. The Company is also developing PhenoSense(TM) products
for other viral diseases and intends to use the results of its PhenoSense(TM)
tests and other clinical data to develop its Therapy Guidance System(TM)
(TGS)(TM), an interactive database to help physicians guide patient therapy. |
