E-DRUG: More than access needed for ARV treatment
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Adherence to ARV treatment
A new report presented at the Toronto International AIDS Conference
shows that access to ARVs is only part of the treatment equation.
Without targeted patient support, the report finds, patients may not
take their medicines regularly and frequently enough, thereby minimizing
the therapeutic benefits of treatment.
Released by WHO, the University of Amsterdam, and the Royal Tropical
Institute of the Netherlands, the report "From Access to Adherence: the
Challenges of Antiretroviral Treatment", exposes the tough realities
faced daily by people living with HIV and AIDS in Botswana, Tanzania and
Uganda. The report identifies the reasons for adherence failure and
provides a series of practical recommendations to improve the situation.
The optimal adherence rate for antiretroviral therapy is 95%, as
recommended by WHO. Lack of adherence to therapy has serious public
health consequences, such as treatment failure, the spread of drug
resistance and the waste of resources. The report finds that
individuals trying to take all of their medicines are often trapped in a
vicious circle of social, economic and workplace obstacles hampering
their adherence to treatment.
The report is available at: http://www.who.int/medicines/en/.
Richard
Dr Richard Laing
Policy, Access and Rational Use of Medicines team
Medicines Policy and Standards
World Health Organization
20 avenue Appia
CH-1211 Geneva 27
laingr@who.int