Incremental Drug Treatment Cost in HIV-Positive Patients in Industry-Sponsored Clinical Trials

Background:Drugs used in clinical trials supported by the pharmaceutical industry are supplied free of charge by the companies. However, maintenance of treatment with those drugs when the trials have finished can generate extra cost for patients who participated in the trials.Objective:To assess whether HIV-infected patients' participation in clinical trials results in drug cost savings or increases.Methods:An analysis of alt antiretrovirals dispensed to HIV-infected outpatients prior to, during, and after their participation in clinical trials in a university hospital during a 2-year period was conducted. Only patients who completed the trial during the study period were included. The following outcomes were measured: (1) cost saved (difference between cost per day during the trial and cost per day before study entry), (2) cost generated (difference between cost per day at the end of the trial and cost per day before study entry), (3) balance between cost saved and cost generated, and (4) number of days ...