Background: Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy is for lifetime of the patients from time of diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. This translates into a substantial cost in drug therapy to the patients, government and donor agencies. Objective: To conduct cost of illness analysis of HIV/AIDS in a Developing Economy in 2016. Methods: A one-year retrospective review of 2560 prescriptions of 396 HIV/AIDS patients' case notes from January to December, 2016 obtained by systematic random sampling from 4800 case-notes of subjects that participated in this study was conducted. Sampling Interval =10 A data collection form was designed and used to collect data generated from the selected case notes. Cost of Illness was determined by prevalence rate method, using direct costs only. Results: The annual cost of illness for the 396 HIV/AIDS patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy was? 40, 674, 760 (US127, 108. 3) with drug, diagnostic/monitoring tests, transport, care/support and personnel cost components of? 25, 479, 760; US79, 624. 3 (62. 64%),? 7, 200, 000; US22, 500 (17. 71%),? 1, 440, 000; US4, 500 (3. 54%),? 2, 880, 000; US9, 000 (7. 08%) and? 3, 675, 000; US11484 (9. 03%) respectively. The annual average cost of illness of HIV/AIDS was? 102, 714. 04 (US320. 98) Conclusion: The annual average cost of illness of HIV/AIDS represent 97% of annual per capita income. This is enormous. The Annual National cost of illness for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, a developing economy may be about N590 billion annually.
Giwa et al. (Mon,) studied this question.