E-DRUG: MSF publishes 4-pager on ARV fixed-dose combinations
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[MSF has published a useful 4-pager explaining the importance of fixed-dose
combinations, including: advantages of
FDCs, WHO pre-qualification, role of national drug regulatory authorities.
Well worth downloading and reading! WB]
MSF briefing on fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) of antiretroviral drugs
2 pills a day saving lives
16 February, 2004
If recent initiatives to scale up antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in
developing countries are to succeed in reaching the poorest and most
vulnerable people at the community level, several key issues must be
addressed. Chief among these is the need to simplify and standardize
treatment protocols so that people with HIV/AIDS can access treatment, even
in areas where there are few hospitals, few doctors, and few laboratories .
Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) of ARVs - that is, pills containing two or
three AIDS drugs in one tablet - are widely recognized as being a key
element in efforts to scale up AIDS treatment in developing countries. FDCs
are recommended in the World Health Organization (WHO) treatment guidelines
and several generic FDCs have been pre-qualified by WHO (see below).
Based on its own experience delivering ARV treatment in resource-poor
settings, M�decins Sans Fronti�res (MSF) has become a strong advocate of
triple FDCs. MSF is currently providing ARV treatment to more than 11,000
people living with HIV/AIDS in over 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin
America, and Eastern Europe, and expects the total number of patients on
ARVs to reach 25,000 in 25 countries by the end of 2004.
http://www.accessmed-msf.org/documents/factsheetfdc.pdf
Sean Healy
Information Officer
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
M�decins Sans Fronti�res
Geneva, Switzerland
tel ++41-22-8498 401
fax ++41-22-8498 404
mobile tel ++41-79-239 9271
sean.healy@geneva.msf.org
www.accessmed-msf.org
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