The U.S. has the most expensive HIV drugs, yet the lowest rate of HIV suppression compared with all other well-resourced countries, according to a study published Feb. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers used HHS data from 2012 to 2018 and found that the cost of HIV drugs rose by 34 percent in that time period, or 3.5 times faster than inflation.
Even with new generic drug options in 2018, all standard recommended drugs for most people with HIV are priced at more than $36,000 per patient per year, the study said.
HIV drugs accounted for $22.5 billion in 2018.
The government's "Ending the HIV Epidemic" initiative aims to achieve a 90 percent decrease in new HIV infections by 2030. To complete that goal, the U.S. has to increase viral suppression by 33 percent, which will cost $35.6 billion in annual spending on HIV drugs, the study said.
The researchers noted that the prices included in the study don't take discounts or rebates into consideration, so the prices may not reflect what all patients pay out-of-pocket.
Read the full study here.