Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - Until recently most of the over 5 million people in India affected by HIV virus could not afford anti-retroviral therapy ART. But when generic ART was introduced in 2000 the cost of anti-HIV drugs dropped from 778 to 100 dollars a month and then in 2003 fell even further to 33 dollars a month.
The rate of survival for infected patients rose with the price of anti-retroviral therapy 20 times lower. The introduction of generic drugs encouraged more patients to ask for treatment against the virus.
Researchers in India and the United States discovered that in 1996 only 13% of Indian patients in need of ART could afford it. The figure rose to 22% in 2000 and reached 44% in 2003.
The availability of these drugs in India was partly responsible for an 80% decline in deaths associated with HIV between 1997 and 2003.
The availability of the drugs also improved public health. Opportunistic infections such as TB, a frequent problem for patients with a weakened immunity system, are far less common among patients treated with ART and its more active counterpart HAART. (AP) (31/10/2005 Agenzia Fides; Righe:21; Parole:240)
