E-drug: More Kenyans on Cheaper AIDS Drugs
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Dear list members,
Here is an article from The "Kenyan Daily Nation" on the numbers accessing
the AIDS drugs. Copied as fair use
Enos Radeny
Health Action International (HAI)
Africa Coordinating Office.
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Headline: More Kenyans on cheaper Aids drugs
Daily Nation:
Thursday March 07, 2002
By a CORRESPONDENT
One year after a major price reduction was announced by their manufacturer
for developing countries, the number of HIV-infected people in Kenya taking
the two anti-retrovirals, Crixivan and Stocrin, has risen fivefold to more
than 1,000.
The drugs, manufactured by America's Merck Sharpe & Dohme, constitute key
ingredients in the so-called triple therapy cocktail which is needed to keep
HIV in infected people from overwhelming the immune system.
On March 7, 2001, under pressure from activists, Merck announced it would
offer Crixivan (Indinavir) and Stocrin (Efavirenz) to 100 countries,
including Kenya, for $600 (Sh47,000) and $500 (Sh40,000) a year per person,
respectively. In the Unites States, Crixivan costs about $6,000 (Sh470,000)
a year per person.
Crixivan, a protease inhibitor, was introduced worldwide in 1996, while
Stocrin, a non-nucleoside reverse trasncriptase inhibitor, was introduced in
1998.
The price reductions by Merck of the two drugs for poor countries means that
the company does not make any profits in developing countries on the
anti-retrovirals, but depends on Western markets to meet its targets.
According to a statement by Merck, whose products are distributed in the
region by Phillips Pharmaceuticals, the use of the drugs has been
particularly successful in Kenya and South Africa, where the two medicines
are mostly purchased by a combination of charity organisations and private
hospitals.
So far, in addition to Kenya, 40 countries have received shipments of the
discounted drugs while an additional eight other countries have indicated
they plan to purchase the cheaper medicines.
Globally, it is estimated that the number of people in countries hard-hit by
Aids benefiting from last year's price reductions by Merck is about 70,000.
In Africa, where at least 28 million people are infected with HIV, medical
experts however say that the number of people on any type of
anti-retrovirals is just between 25,000 and 30,000, although up to three
million people with advanced infection may actually be requiring the drugs.
In Kenya, an estimated 200,000 people are thought to be needing
anti-retroviral therapy, but less than 8,000 are currently on the drugs.
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Health Action International (HAI)
Africa Coordinating Office
Musa Gitau Road, Off Waiyaki Way
P.O. Box 73860, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-2-444.835
Fax: 254-2-440306
E-mail: ceradeny@africaonline.co.ke
Website: www.haiweb.org
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