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Expectant mothers to get free HIV/AIDS drugs

    JOHANNESBURG

    HIV-positive pregnant women in Swaziland are set to benefit from a consignment of nevirapine, the drug that helps to reduce mother-to-child transmission of the virus, an official said on Monday.

    The National AIDS Programme (NAP) said the consignment was at a depot in South Africa after being shipped by a leading German pharmaceutical company and would be freely available within two weeks.

    "The drugs are the result of negotiations between the government and Boehringer-Ingelheim. They are crucial in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV," the NAP counselling coordinator, Rejoice Nkambule, told the UN news service PlusNews.

    Nkambule said the drugs will be provided free of charge over a period of five years to expectant HIV-positive mothers at three government sites.

    "Government is currently negotiating price-cuts on antiretroviral drugs for all people living with HIV/AIDS," Nkambule added.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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