Second line ARV treatment from Dec 1

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AIDS: Second line treatment from Dec 1

By IE, Saturday November 17, 02:53 AM

Even as the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) reached the

crucial benchmark of providing first line treatment to more than one

lakh people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, the government now

has plans to introduce second line anti-retroviral treatment from

December 1 - the World AIDS Day - in a phased manner.

While the Red Ribbon Express train rolls out from Delhi on December 1

to create awareness about the disease, there has been an increasing

clamour for second line anti-retroviral treatment (ART).

There has been increasing pressure on the government as NGOs and

foundations have been sending letters to Prime Minister's office on

the issue.

Elango Ramachander, president of the Indian Network of People Living

with HIV (having a membership of 90,000 ) insisted that the

government has to take an initiative to provide the second line

drugs. If it fails to do so, it would be a violation of fundamental

rights.

But the wait may well end on December 1, as the the government is

likely to introduce second line ATR - for those HIV patients who are

resistant for first line drugs.

Highly placed officials with NACO told The Indian Express that they

were preparing technical guidelines and working on a combination of

drugs that will be introduced for second line ART. Nearly 3000

patients will have to be provided with the second line ART, officials

said. Once the combination of drugs is finalised, then the programme

can be introduced at a few centres.

Director General, NACO, K Sujatha Rao had pointed out that several

meetings were being held to deal with issues like equipping

laboratories and training people to test patients who are resistant

to first line anti-retroviral drugs.

More than 2.5 million people are currently estimated to be living

with HIV/AIDS in India today. In October this year, the government

finally met the target of providing one lakh people with ART at its

127 centres across the country.

While the government spends Rs 7,500 per patient per year for first

line ART drugs, it will have have to spend Rs one lakh per patient

per year for second line drugs. The second line treatment needs more

investment and infrastructure.

Red Ribbon Express

The Red Ribbon Express train will be flagged off on World AIDS Day on

December 1. A joint project of the health ministry and the railway

ministry, the train will have an exhibition on HIV/AIDS and have

politicians, film actors and celebrities who would try to create

awareness about HIV. The train will travel for one year to various

parts of the country.

http://in.news./071116/48/6nctk.html