Working group to help distribute AIDS drug<\/p>\n
Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
People living with HIV\/AIDS in Indonesia have a new hope for
\nalleviating symptoms and delaying the onset of full-blown AIDS
\nfor those with the HIV virus as the government has arranged the
\nsupply of inexpensive generic AIDS drugs across the country.<\/p>\n
A memorandum of understanding on generic antiretroviral (ARV)
\ndrugs distribution cooperation was signed on Thursday between PT
\nIndofarma and the Working Group on HIV\/AIDS at the Medical School
\nof University of Indonesia (Pokdisus UI).<\/p>\n
"Through this cooperation, people with HIV\/AIDS may obtain the
\ndrugs for only Rp 60,000 (US$6.74) per dose, which is ten times
\ncheaper than the branded one," said Pokdisus spokesman Zubairi
\nDjoerban, who is also an AIDS medical expert.<\/p>\n
As of today people infected with HIV in Indonesia numbered
\nsome 120,000, and most come from middle to lower income brackets
\nwho are unable to afford expensive brand-name drugs, Zubairi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said that the government had arranged for Indofarma to
\nimport and deliver the drugs directly to Pokdisus, who would
\nlater distribute them to any general practitioner who handled
\npatients with HIV\/AIDS across the country.<\/p>\n
"The patients therefore can order ARV through the doctors, who
\nwill send the prescription to Pokdisus. The working group will
\nsend the drugs to the patient's address, after receiving a bank
\ntransfer receipt and the prescription," he said.<\/p>\n
President Director of Indofarma Edy Pramono said: "The MOU
\nwill take effect on Mar. 1, when people with HIV\/AIDS may start
\nordering ARV via Pokdisus."<\/p>\n
He said that currently his company still has stocks for 15
\ndays and is expecting next shipment from India and Thailand that
\ncould provide three months stock.<\/p>\n
The agreement was reached after the Food and Drug Control
\nAgency (BPOM) gave an import permit with Special Access Service
\n(SAS) procedure to Indofarma under the consideration of a
\nnational emergency, said BPOM head Sampurno.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in a hearing on Thursday, the House of
\nRepresentatives Commission VII for Health and Social Welfare
\nsupported BPOM's step on giving such a permit as an effort to
\ncurb the spread of HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n
BPOM also clarified the issue about the agency's weak
\nmonitoring that allowed legal precursors leaked, leading to high
\nillicit drugs production blamed for rapid spread of HIV\/AIDS in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
Sampurno said: "We have a full monitoring of legal narcotic,
\npsychotropic and precursors imports because only one
\npharmaceutical factory imports the drugs."<\/p>\n
On Tuesday a non-governmental organization said that BPOM had
\nweak monitoring proved by its own self-audit report on narcotic
\ncontrol.<\/p>\n
"The report was not on narcotics like heroin or cocaine, but
\non codeine that is widely used for cough medicine among children.
\nWe give warnings especially to drugstores that fail to provide
\nthis particular narcotic, which is codeine," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/working-group-to-help-distribute-aids-drug-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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