How ARVs work
Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) have transformed HIV infection from a death sentence to a manageable, chronic disorder for patients in the west. But most people in the developing world still do not have access to them.
Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) have transformed HIV infection from a death sentence to a manageable, chronic disorder for patients in the west. But most people in the developing world still do not have access to them.
The World Health Organisation had hoped to have three million people on AIDS drugs by the end of 2005, but it is unlikely to reach the target.
About one million of the six million people living with HIV/AIDS in poor countries who need urgent treatment are getting it. About 40 million people, including 25 million in sub-Saharan Africa, are living with HIV/AIDS. The following are some key facts about anti-AIDS drugs:
ARVs suppress replication of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, by interfering with its genetic workings. But they can’t eradicate it from the body completely, so patients must take the medicines for life.
There are two dozen AIDS drugs on the market used in various combinations called highly active antriretroviral therapy (HAART). When successful, HAART keeps virus levels so low, enabling many people to lead virtually normal lives.
Existing drugs are in four groups; nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors and fusion inhibitors. They fight HIV at different stages of its life cycle.
The cost of AIDS drugs in developing countries has fallen more than 90% in recent years, following intense pressure on the drug industry and the cheapest generics now cost $150 per patient a year.
Around half of those on therapy in poor countries are taking generics, most of them from India. The rest receive drugs from Western companies such as GlaxoSmithKline which is the world’s biggest supplier of HIV/AIDS medicines.
Ends
The World Health Organisation had hoped to have three million people on AIDS drugs by the end of 2005, but it is unlikely to reach the target.
About one million of the six million people living with HIV/AIDS in poor countries who need urgent treatment are getting it. About 40 million people, including 25 million in sub-Saharan Africa, are living with HIV/AIDS. The following are some key facts about anti-AIDS drugs:
ARVs suppress replication of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, by interfering with its genetic workings. But they can’t eradicate it from the body completely, so patients must take the medicines for life.
There are two dozen AIDS drugs on the market used in various combinations called highly active antriretroviral therapy (HAART). When successful, HAART keeps virus levels so low, enabling many people to lead virtually normal lives.
Existing drugs are in four groups; nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors and fusion inhibitors. They fight HIV at different stages of its life cycle.
The cost of AIDS drugs in developing countries has fallen more than 90% in recent years, following intense pressure on the drug industry and the cheapest generics now cost $150 per patient a year.
Around half of those on therapy in poor countries are taking generics, most of them from India. The rest receive drugs from Western companies such as GlaxoSmithKline which is the world’s biggest supplier of HIV/AIDS medicines.
Ends