By EFE in Washington 2919-07-02
A team led by Steven Forsythe, from the health organization Avenir Health in the US, evaluated the results between 1995 and 2015, according to an article published yesterday in the journal Health Affairs.
Antiretroviral therapies for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevented 9.5 million deaths worldwide between 1995 and 2015, according to an article published yesterday in the journal Health Affairs .
A team led by Steven Forsythe, from the health organization Avenir Health in the US, evaluated the results of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, which in 2014 established the so-called "90-90-90 targets" for the treatment of infected people.
This meant that 90% of people with the virus knew their status; that 90% received the appropriate treatment; and that 90% suppressed HIV.
Since the introduction of zidovudine in 1987, the significant improvement in the treatment of people living with HIV has yielded substantial advances in global health as a result of the unique benefits of antiretroviral therapy, the authors stated.
Researchers examined data used by the UN to calculate that between 1995 and 2015, antiretroviral therapy prevented 9.5 million deaths worldwide.
Scientists also estimated that 40.2 million new HIV infections could be prevented between 1995 and 2030. In a country-by-country analysis, the article noted that Brazil introduced local production of antiretroviral drugs in 1995 and established the right to free access to these medications in 1996.
“However, the intensification of treatments, along with their increased effectiveness, resulted in a substantial decrease in the overall number of AIDS-related deaths,” the study noted. “Estimates dropped to approximately 1.12 million AIDS-related deaths annually in 2015.”