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A tool that identifies people at high risk of having HIV, calibrating the individual risk of each of them, through a screening strategy directed in a certain area. That’s how it is Predictand Predictive HIV Risk model that the company has developed Gilead Sciences. Its objective is to diagnose those cases that have not yet affected, reduce late diagnosis and avoid new infections.
Analyzing only information about certain diseases previously diagnosed with a person, age and sex at birth, the model has demonstrated its ability to detect more than 70% of HIV cases of any populationscreening less than 4% of people and achieving a prevalence of HIV of more than 2.5%.
The model has demonstrated its ability to detect more than 70% of HIV cases of any population, screening less than 4% of people
For the company, these results “They show the opportunity to optimize the use of health resources”reducing the number of people to whom it is necessary to perform an HIV test, while increasing the percentage of new diagnoses and, with it, the efficiency of the health system.
Gilead has counted for its development as a technological partner and with a wide team of researchers, among which are experts in infectious and HIV diseases such as the Dr. Miguel García-Deltorohead of the Infectious Diseases Service of the University General Hospital of Valencia, and the Dr. Arkaitz imazCoordinator of the HIV and STD Unit of the Bellvitge University Hospital.
The HIV risk prediction model has been generated so that it can be integrated into electronic medical history systems. In this way, it allows automating the care process so that Be the computer system that can alert the clinician who serves a person with a high risk of having HIV. Its developers consider that the lost opportunities of diagnosis are reduced and improves the efficiency of the health system.
The predictive HIV risk model has been generated so that it can be integrated into electronic medical systems
“The results of these initial studies indicate that they may be able to identify candidates to do the HIV test in a very efficient way since it allows focusing the search in higher risk groups in which the prevalence would be, according to the model, very high”says Dr. Imaz.
The late diagnosis, which in 2023 was present in 49% of the new casesis associated with a greater progression of infection, an increase in health costs and greater morbidity and mortality. As José Luis Enriquez, CEO and founder of Telomer, describes, «The model arose from a real clinical concern: Many HIV diagnostic opportunities are being lostespecially in advanced phases of infection. The main challenge is to identify people with HIV who had gone unnoticed in the health system ».
Dr. Imaz: “The results of these initial studies indicate that they may be able to identify candidates to do HIV test very efficiently”
For Luis Armenteros, director of the HIV unit of Gilead Sciences in Spain and Portugal, «This development is another demonstration of Gilead’s commitment to people with HIV. Our company has been present since its inception in the great milestones of this epidemic and we continue to be, providing innovative solutions to address the still current challenge of HIV hidden infection and its late diagnosis«.
This advance is a crucial step in the early detection of HIV, an infection with which it is estimated that 11,000 people (7.5% of people with HIV in our country)
