THE BEST available treatment for AIDS patients in Jamaica would cost more than double what is now allocated for pharmaceuticals and sundries in the public heath sector.
That is the word from the directorate of the National HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme. As we reported in Monday's Gleaner the present annual allocation is some $400 million which in itself is just half of existing needs.
Ideally, available treatment by what are described as antiretroviral drugs would not offer a cure for the disease but would improve the quality of life of patients. The annual cost for dual drug therapy (a cocktail of two drugs) would be $240 million; and the more effective triple therapy (involving three drugs) would be $360 million annually.
At present public sector medication for AIDS patients is confined only to the illnesses caused by the breakdown of the immune system triggered by AIDS.
The occupational profile of AIDS victims admitted to the public hospitals indicates that most of them cannot afford the drug therapy with costs ranging between $20,000 and $35,000 per patient each month.
The availability of the expensive antiretroviral drugs in the metropolitan countries explains the contrast between the enhanced lifestyles of VIP HIV victims in America, for example, and the disease devastation reported from Sub-Saharan Africa.
That is why there is a United Nations initiative aimed at cutting the costs of expensive drugs such as AZT and 3TC. There is no clear indication at this stage if this initiative, primarily aimed at Africa, will soon reach the Caribbean.
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