| This dissertation considers issues in the evaluation and approval of new AIDS therapies. Employing the techniques of disease modeling and statistical decision theory, we propose an interdisciplinary method for assessing the consequences of public decisions regarding new drug development and dissemination. This framework addresses such questions as the cost-effectiveness of anti-viral therapies, the epidemiological and economic impact of delay and inaction, the value of information about drug efficacy, how to formalize the trade-off that exists between speed and safety, and how and when to undertake a clinical trial. |
