Coming soon: Cheap HIV/AIDS medicine

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) will assure themselves of access to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs at a cheaper price, perhaps even for free for those who were unable to afford them, starting in January.

Deputy director of the narcotics division at the Food and Drugs Supervisory Board (BPOM) Lucky S. Slamet said on Tuesday that local pharmaceutical firm PT Kimia Farma, the appointed manufacturer of the generic antiretroviral drug, would supply the pills at a price of between Rp 450,000 (US$52.9) and Rp 500,000 per monthly package.

Indonesia is currently importing the drug from India at Rp 650,000 per package.

"BPOM will issue the license for the Kimia Pharma in the middle of this month so that it can start producing ARV by January 2004," Lucky said.

During its summit in Doha in 2001, the World Trade Organization lifted the patent regulations imposed on access to life-saving drugs on the condition that they will be used for humanitarian purposes and not for commercial use.

PT Kimia Farma President Director Gunawan Pranoto said on Tuesday that his company was ready to produce 120,000 ARV packages per month (1,440,000 annually) to meet the demand for up to 2,000 PLWHAs, with one PLWHA taking 60 packages per month.

The government estimates there are 4,000 PLWHA here, while the UN estimates the figure is over 130,000.

The drug is expected to cost lower as President Megawati Soekarnoputri is scheduled to announce on Monday next week the government subsidy worth Rp 200,000 per month.

Local ARV drug will be distributed among the government hospitals and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which will deliver the medicine to PLWHAs.

PT Kimia Farma is set to launch its first sample of the drug on Monday.

It will import the raw materials needed to produce it from India and South Korea.

"It's legal because the regulation only says that India cannot export its generic ARV drug. It doesn't prohibit India from exporting the raw materials," Gunawan told The Jakarta Post.

The antiretroviral drug does not cure HIV/AIDS, but does prevent the virus from multiplying and spreading in the human body, allowing their immune systems to recover so that they can live longer.