The number of deaths and hospitalizations resulting from HIV and AIDS have been dramatically reduced, researchers at the 3rd International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection, held in Birmingham, UK, on November 4, 1996, revealed. However, they added, innovative new therapies are not reaching many needy patients in some European countries because health care authorities are not reserving enough money to pay for them, and physicians are not aware of their potential benefits.
A Los Angeles, USA-based team headed by Peter Ruane presented data which investigated the number of hospital days, skilled nursing days and home care or outpatient days required for 128 patients treated monotherapeutically with zidovudine between January and November 1995, and for 300 patients thus far treated with triple therapy protease inhibitors as of October 1996. 50% of the patients had CD4 cell counts of less than 200, while another 25% had CD4 cell counts of less than 50.
Drop In Care Requirements They reported that between July 1994 and June 1996, the number of hospital days per patient per month dropped from 3.36 to 1.28 days, with skilled nursing days decreasing from an average of 136.8 to 48 days. The mean number of patients receiving home care fell 58% to 28.7 patients. The number of patients receiving therapy for cytomegalovirus disease and radiaton therapy for a range of different reasons also reduced quite dramatically. The researchers concluded that the new drug regimens reduced the need for home care and hospitalizations by up to two thirds. According to a press conference report, a number of other physicians from both the USA and France have been seeing the same results in their clinics since the introduction of PIs earlier this year.
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