What are the benefits of starting biologics earlier in asthma patients?
Modelling the impact of earlier initiation on outcomes and costs in the UK Many people with severe asthma have uncontrolled disease and accumulate high lifetime doses of oral corticosteroids (OCS). Although biologic therapies reduce exacerbations and OCS use, current care often follows a failure-based approach to starting biologics (1). Severe asthma accounts for ~50% of Read More >
How can England achieve HIV transmission elimination?
Modelling the impact of current HIV prevention efforts on progress towards the 2030 elimination goal. In 2019, the previous UK government set the ambitious target of eliminating HIV transmission within England by 2030 with the current government affirming their commitment to the goal in their 2024 manifesto and commissioning a new HIV action plan in Read More >
Expert consensus on prescribing restrictions that prevent primary care providers (PCPs) in Europe from initiating single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive condition that places a significant burden on patients and healthcare systems. Guidelines recommend triple therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe COPD whose disease remains inadequately controlled despite receiving dual therapy. This can be delivered either via multiple inhalers (MITT) or a single inhaler (SITT). SITT has been shown Read More >
Estimating the number of people who could benefit from HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in England and the unmet need
In 2019, the previous government committed to eliminating HIV transmission by 2030 [1]. An action plan was developed [2] and a funding commitment made for opt-out HIV testing in hospital A&Es. However, despite the recent progress made in HIV prevention and treatment, England is not predicted to achieve the 2030 zero-transmission target under the current Read More >
Estimating the potential health economic value of introducing universal opt-out testing for HIV in emergency departments in Italy
Italy faces challenges with late HIV diagnoses, which leads to worse health outcomes and higher healthcare costs. In Italy, the proportion of late diagnoses (i.e., a CD4 count <350 cells/mm3) has increased to 60% in 2020—10% higher than the European average (1). With an estimated 13,000–15,000 undiagnosed HIV cases in Italy, innovative testing strategies are urgently needed Read More >
When will the UK achieve HIV transmission elimination? Modelling the impact of current HIV prevention efforts on progress towards the 2030 elimination goal
In 2019, the previous UK government set the ambitious target of eliminating HIV transmission within the UK by 2030. While great progress has been made in HIV prevention and treatment in the UK, with England reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target in 20231, past evidence suggested that the goal of ‘elimination’ by 2030 is unlikely to Read More >
The use of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as COVID-19 pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for immunocompromised patients with haematological malignancies in Germany
Patients with haematological malignancies (HM) are particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes from COVID-19, with mortality rates reaching up to 34% in this patient group following COVID-19 infection (1). Although COVID-19 vaccines have been widely effective in reducing severe outcomes in the general population, patients with haematological malignancies often have limited immune responses to vaccination, even Read More >
Self-sampling for cervical cancer screening – what is it and what does evidence from Europe tell us about whether it provides any benefits compared to traditional ways of screening?
Regular screening is crucial for preventing cervical cancer or identifying cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to be successful. Screening is particularly important for women who did not receive the HPV vaccine; in the UK, that means most women over the age of 30. Many European countries, including the UK, have Read More >
Is it possible to eliminate the transmission of a virus which doesn’t have a cure or a vaccine? This is certainly the hope for HIV.
In 2019, the previous government committed to eliminating HIV transmission by 2030 [1]. An action plan was developed [2] and a funding commitment made for opt-out HIV testing in hospital A&Es. However, an analysis by UCL [3] found that we are unlikely to achieve the 2030 goal with the current prevention efforts, despite an estimated Read More >
Could universal opt-out HIV testing in Italian emergency departments be a cost-effective way of increasing HIV diagnosis rates in Italy?
In Italy, 60% of new HIV diagnoses are in people who already have advanced disease (i.e., a CD4 count <350 cells/mm3) (1). This highlights an urgent need for alternative screening strategies if Italy is to make progress towards achieving the UNAIDS target of diagnosing at least 95% of people living with HIV (2). Read More >