E-DRUG: free fluconazole for South Africa's public sector
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[from the Star newspaper; copied from www.iol.co.za.
Copied as fair use. NN]
Aids drug will be offered free from April
By Zanele Mngadi
The diflucan [fluconazole; NN] drug for HIV and Aids patients will be
available on prescription from
public hospitals at no cost by April.
This was confirmed by the national department of health's chief
communications director,
Jo-anne Collinge, last week.
Dr Liz Floyd, director for the Aids programme at the Gauteng department of
health, said the drug
would only be distributed from large regional hospitals, not at public
clinics as it had been reported.
"In the event that patients are diagnosed at small hospitals or clinics,
they will be referred to the
nearest big hospitals," said Floyd.
The drug was approved by the South African Medicines Control Council on
February 15 and it treats
crytococcal meningitis (a fungal infection of the membranes that cover the
brain and the spinal cord)
and oesphageal candidiasis, a fungal infection of the oesphagus - the tube
that connects the throat
to the stomach.
The availability of the drug came about after a two-year partnership
between the department of health
and drug company Pfizer was formed in an attempt to alleviate the pandemic.
Medical research has proved that one in 10 Aids patients gets cryptococcal
meningitis while between
20 percent and 40 percent of all HIV and Aids patients have oesophageal
candidiasis.
Both these diseases, particularly cryptococcal meningitis, are
life-threatening and people living with
HIV and Aids are more susceptible to them because of their weak immune
system.
At present, the drug is available in a capsule form from private
pharmacies. Those contacted by The Star
charged between R94 and R101 for one 200mg capsule. [USD 12 - 13.00]
Imraan Munshi of Pfizer said part of the treatment for patients crytococcal
meningitis included a daily intake
of one or two tablets for between 10 to 12 weeks and thereafter taking one
tablet a day indefinitely.
To cure oesophageal candidiasis, Munshi said, patients were required to
take one or two tablets daily
for at least three weeks and for at least two weeks after the resolution of
the symptoms.
The agreement, Munshi said, would save the government R375-million over the
two years of which the
agreement was to run. Patients receiving the treatment within the agreement
period "will continue to get it
for free for the rest of their lives".
Published on the Web by IOL on 2001-02-25 19:10:07
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