Lead: Projected health and economic outcomes in people who inject drugs in the United States, 2025-2034: A modeling study

Our lead story this week is an open forum infectious diseases and is titled projected health and economic outcomes in people who inject drugs in the United States 2025 to 2034, a modeling study.

This modeling study developed a micro simulation model, the multi morbidity model to reduce infections associated with drug use.

Key clinical outcomes and costs were projected from 2025 to 2034 in the US, including new HIV and HCV cases, hospitalizations for severe injection-related infections, and deaths from drug overdose and injection-related infections.

For 3.3 million people who inject drugs over 10 years, the model predicted 487,000 deaths, 29,000 new HIV infections, 218,000 new HCV infections and reinfections, and 1.7 million hospitalizations related to injection drug use, with a projected healthcare cost of $565 billion.