Cost-effectiveness analysis of HLA-B*5701 screening in preventing abacavir hypersensitivity in Spain

Purpose of the study The nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor abacavir is prescribed, in combination with other drugs, for the treatment of HIV-1. Roughly 4–8% of patients receiving abacavir experience a hypersensitivity reaction (HSR), which usually appears within 6 weeks of treatment initiation. Several studies have demonstrated the association between abacavir HSR and the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*5701. Therefore, systematic HLA-B*5701 screening prior to abacavir prescription enables clinicians to establish individual HSR susceptibility, and consequently increase the safety profile of HIV treatment. The objective of this study was to analyse if systematic HLAB*5701 screening to prevent abacavir HSR is a cost-effective option in the Spanish National Health System (NHS).