Tales from opposite corners of the world: Emergency department opt-out testing: A cost-effective route to earlier HIV and Hepatitis diagnosis in Australia and Germany
Emergency department opt-out testing: A cost-effective route to earlier HIV and Hepatitis diagnosis in Australia and Germany.
Australia and Germany have both made progress toward HIV and viral hepatitis elimination targets, yet a significant share of infections remains undiagnosed.
• HBV: 31% undiagnosed in Australia (3); 80% in Germany (4)
• HCV: 16% undiagnosed in Australia (5); 63% in Germany (6)
• HIV: around 8% undiagnosed in both countries (7,8)
These levels of undiagnosed infection indicate that standard blood-borne virus (BBV) testing approaches are not sufficient to meet public health goals.
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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 >
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 >
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 >
Research in Dravet syndrome and cervical cancer screening presented at international conferences
Aquarius has recently presented posters at international conferences (ISPOR, a conference for the leading professional society for health economics and outcomes research and EUROGIN, an international multidisciplinary HPV conference), exploring the impact of improving healthcare for two very different conditions: Dravet syndrome (rare debilitating epilepsy) and cervical cancer. Read More >
Could a same day test and treatment service in further education colleges improve uptake of chlamydia testing among young people?
Aquarius were part of a recent feasibility trial looking at whether provision of a same day test and treatment service for chlamydia in further education colleges increased uptake of chlamydia testing and treatment. The results of the trial were published this week in Clinical Microbiology and Infection and are available online. Read More >
PRESS RELEASE: Aquarius Population Health wins a prestigious SBRI grant from Innovate UK
Work has begun to develop a digital value proposition tool for a novel rapid sexually transmitted infection (STI) test London, UK, 14 August 2017 Aquarius Population Health, a leading independent health economics consultancy, has recently been awarded an 18-month Innovate UK grant in collaboration with Atlas Genetics Ltd and the Applied Diagnostic Research and Evaluation Read More >
Evaluating multi-bug point-of-care tests for sexually transmitted infections
We were a collaborator on a recent Innovate UK-funded SBRI project with Binx and the Applied Diagnostic Research and Evaluation Unit at St George’s University of London. In this project, our team compared the overall costs, patient benefits and cost-effectiveness of three different multi-pathogen point-of-care testing strategies with the current strategy of microscopy and lab-based Read More >
Integrating Personalised Medicine into the NHS
Personalised medicine is an emerging field that brings exciting changes to patient care. So, what exactly is personalised medicine and what are its benefits? In the past, various terms have been used interchangeably: ‘stratified medicine’, ‘personalised medicine’ and ‘precision medicine’. These terms refer to data driven medicine, in which data can be a patient’s genetic Read More >
Antimicrobial resistance: Why it matters
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been described as one of the world’s greatest threats to human and animal health. Some reports suggest that by 2050, AMR could kill around 10 million people each year worldwide. Public health leaders warn we could enter a ‘post-antibiotic’ era where easily treatable common infections become untreatable. Read More >