The management of polypharmacy in people living with HIV.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has modified the prognosis of HIV which has evolved into a chronic condition. People living with HIV (PLWH) are living longer presenting an increased number of comorbidities leading to polypharmacy. Literature on the prevalence, associated factors, drug-drug interactions (DDIs), effects on ART-outcomes, geriatric conditions, and nutritional status together with health-interventions aimed to reduce it is presented in this review.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of the daily HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in men who have sex with men in Barcelona.

Introduction: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has been implemented in several countries. Previous literature has shown that its cost-effectiveness (and, under some specifications, cost-saving character) is dependent on the reduction in price due to generics, the time-horizon and its effectiveness. The intervention has never been studied in Catalonia after the approval of the PrEP, a territory with extensive implementation.

Variability in adherence to rhGH treatment: Socioeconomic causes and effect on children's growth.

Background: In children with growth disorders, mean final height is associated to poor adherence to Growth Hormone therapy. The primary goal of this study is to identify patients who do not adhere to GH therapy and determine the influence of adherence in response to the treatment. The role of serum IGF-I and influence of socio-economic factors on the therapeutic adherence will also be evaluated.

Antiretroviral treatment switch strategies for lowering the costs of antiretroviral therapy in subjects with suppressed HIV-1 viremia in Spain.

Background: The current economic recession in European countries has forced governments to design emergency measures to reduce spending on drugs, including antiretroviral therapy (ART). Switching antiretroviral drugs for others that have the same efficacy and safety profile at a lower cost (cost-reduction measures, CRM) could prove to be a valid means of generating savings.

Methods: Descriptive study of prospective consensus-based CRM undertaken in 2011 in a Catalonian hospital HIV unit among patients with prolonged plasma HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL.

[Use of herbal remedies among HIV-infected patients: patterns and correlates].

Background And Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and patterns of use of herbal remedies among HIV-infected patients, and to identify potential health risks and correlates associated with the use of these products.

Patients And Methods: Cross-sectional survey including 1000 HIV-infected outpatients in Barcelona. Participants completed a questionnaire on the use of herbal remedies and other types of complementary treatments within the previous year as well as on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.