Drugs for AIDS carriers available
Drugs for AIDS carriers available
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Health yesterday denied allegations that red tape has prevented the sale and distribution of certain drugs that are needed by people who have the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Head of the Ministry's Directorate of Drug Supervision, Andajaningsih, said in a statement that a number of medicines for people with AIDS/HIV have been registered and distributed in the country.
Sjamsuridjal Djauzi, an internist, said last week that the registration of medicines in Indonesia is so painfully slow that some drugs needed to treat people with early symptoms of AIDS or HIV are not even on sale in the country.
Speaking at a seminar at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM), Sjamsuridjal, said that the innovation and progress of medication to cure secondary infection of AIDS in other countries is progressing fast, according to a Kompas report.
He said that the Directorate General of Food and Drug Supervision could not follow the rapid progress of the medicine capable of reducing the suffering of people with AIDS.
According to clinical studies in several countries and RSCM's experience in treating 39 AIDS patients here, that was made public by Sjamsuridjal, "opportunistic infections" of AIDS could be cured, although the medicine to treat them were expensive.
The AIDS sufferers could work as usual and reduce their dependency on other people after the treatment.
Andajaningsih admitted that one of the medicines, reported as being not available in the country, is only now in the process of being registered by the Ministry, but she said this is because the distributor only submitted the drug for registration on Nov. 23 and not because of red tape.
The medicine is still undergoing evaluation at the Ministry of Health, she said, adding that the same medicine is also still under evaluation in Britain and the United States.
The registration process of another medicine, Zalcitabine, which is also to treat people that suffer from HIV/AIDS disease infection, is in the final phase, she said.
The Ministry of Health also pointed out at other medicines to treat people with AIDS/HIV that are already available in the country including Zidovudine under the brand name Retrovir and Didanosine under the brand name Videx. (31)