Clinical and economic outcomes of nonadherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus.

Background: Nonadherence with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is common in typical human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patient care settings, but the consequences have not been well described. This study aimed to quantify the clinical and economic effects of nonadherence and estimate the cost-effectiveness of improving adherence in treatment-naive HIV patients.

Methods: A Markov model was developed to project quality-adjusted life expectancy and direct medical costs for patients on an initial once-daily regimen of efavirenz, lamivudine, and stavudine XR.