A cost-effectiveness analysis of Insite, Canada's only supervised safe injection site in Vancouver, concludes that it results in $14 million in savings and health gains of 920 life-years over 10 years. The study (http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg1143.pdf), published in CMAJ, estimated the number of HIV and Hepatitis C cases that could be prevented with decreased needle sharing, safer injection practices and more referrals to addiction services.
"Vancouver's supervised injection site is associated with improved health and cost savings, even under conservative estimates of efficacy," conclude Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi of St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto, and Gregory Zaric from The Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.
In a related commentary (http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg1105.pdf), Dr. Don Des Jarlais of Beth Israel Medical Centre in New York and coauthors question some of the assumptions underlying the analysis and suggest comparisons with programs in New York City. They also point out that almost all effective interventions to reduce HIV infection in Canada will be cost-saving, given that treatment for a single case of HIV infection is estimated at $150,000 (Canadian). Thus, Insite is almost certainly cost-saving to Canadian society.
Journal
Canadian Medical Association Journal