Anti-AIDS drugs now on sale

People living with HIV/AIDS in Mozambique will now be able to purchase anti-AIDS drugs after four types of antiretrovirals went on sale in the private sector last week. This is "officially" the first time the drugs went on sale in the country, Irene Cossa, counselling and home-based care coordinator for the country's network of people living with HIV/AIDS - Kindlimuka, told PlusNews. Before that, most people travelled to neighbouring countries to buy the drugs. "Other people got the treatment from their employers, but it was difficult to have access to the drugs if you were not rich," Cossa said. People were reluctant to get tested and find out their HIV status, as they knew that they would not receive treatment. The move to sell the drugs in private clinics and pharmacies would alleviate this problem and give them hope, she added. According to Renato Ronda, chairman of the board of MEDIMOC, the company responsible for importing the medication, the generic drugs were imported from India and were not yet available to the public. So far, 10 private pharmacies in Maputo and two in Beira had been authorised to sell nevirapine, lamivudine, zidovudine and the generic version of combivir. The number of distributors and the different types of drugs would increase as more stakeholders came on board, Ronda told PlusNews. HIV-positive people could expect to pay up to 1.7 million meticals (US $73.5) a month for the treatment, Ronda said. While acknowledging that the majority of Mozambicans would not be able to afford the medication, Ronda stressed the importance of making the drugs available for those who could afford it. "Let us start by making them available here and then we can see lower prices as time goes on," he said. Kindlimuka welcomed the sale of the drugs, despite the cost, Cossa said. "Yes they [the drugs] are not affordable, but some of us can't even afford an aspirin. Those who can afford it will buy it," she added. But HIV-positive people in rural areas would still find it difficult to access the treatment. "The majority of private clinics, doctors and pharmacists are without question in Maputo," Ronda said. Other private pharmacies interested in selling the drugs must apply for authorisation from the provincial health directorates. The government was not yet importing antiretroviral drugs, but has been consulting with the drug manufacturers and the private sector. "Knowing that these drugs exist in the country will help. This is one way of solving part of the problem," Cossa said.