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)