Business Wire - Monday December 7, 1998

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covers reported cases of AIDS and a broad estimate of HIV cases, the agency does not offer estimates on the number of HIV patients receiving drug therapy. Scott-Levin's audit provides this information to those interested in the current state of HIV treatment.

**Here are some results from the third quarter of 1998, which covers 412,200 patients:

--HIV and AIDS patients are primarily young, white and male

--Mean patient age: 39

--Patient sex: male, 74%; female, 26%

--Patient race: white, 48%; black, 34%; Asian, 1%;

--Hispanic, 17%; other, 1%

** Medicaid is the single largest payer for HIV and AIDS drugs

-- Fee for service: 11%

-- Medicaid: 38%

-- Medicare: 8%

-- HMO: 24%

-- PPO: 10%

-- ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program): 9%

-- Charity or company fund: 3%

-- Other: 5%

** Most patients participate in drug therapy decisions

-- Actively: 36%

-- Usually: 32%

-- Sometimes: 20%

-- Hardly ever: 7%

-- Never: 5%

** Sources of HIV exposure

-- Man having sex with man: 45%

-- IV drug use: 21%

-- Sex with HIV-infected person: 16%

-- Sex with IV drug user: 8%

-- Unknown: 6%

-- Male-male sex and IV drug use: 2%

-- Mother was at risk for HIV: 3%

-- Sex with bisexual male: 2%

-- Receipt of blood components: 1%

-- Other: 1%

For more information, please contact John Ross or Gina Barbetta at 215/860-0440; fax: 215/860-5477. Or e-mail them at email@scottlevin.com. Scott-Levin, a division of PMSI/Scott-Levin Inc., provides consulting and communications services to pharmaceutical companies worldwide, including audits of pharmaceutical promotion. You can visit Scott-Levin on the World Wide Web at http://www.scottlevin.com.

Contact: Scott-Levin John Ross, 215/860-0440 Fax: 215/860-5477 email@scottlevin.com
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Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1998. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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