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MSF urges India to continue pushing generic drugs

The organisation in its report has asked India to continue to be the 'pharmacy of the developing world'

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In a report presented on HIV drug pricing released at a conference in Durban on Thursday, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, stressed on the need for India to encourage generic drugs.

"India is under massive pressure to turn off its tap of affordable medicines, which are lifeline for millions of people not only in India, but across the developing world," said Leena Menghaney, South Asia Head of MSF's Access Campaign.

"If India doesn't stand strong against pharmaceutical corporations and governments that are pushing for change in the country's patent law and policies, people around the world will face a crisis in access to medicines in the future," she said.

While the prices of drugs of the first line and second line treatment have continued to fall, third line treatment remains expensive. The third line drugs are needed by people who have become resistant to other drugs. Cost of third line treatment for HIV can go up to Rs15,000 per month and is offered mostly by the private sector in the country.

Talking about it, Dr Om Srivastava, infectious disease consultant, Jaslok hospital, explained: "Over a period of treatment that spans years, patients stop complying. This results in resistance to drugs." With more and more people already on second line drugs, doctors say that soon the number of patients needing third line drugs is going to rise substantially.

"There are obviously not enough generic drugs in the market that is pushing up the costs. The gap needs to be addresed at the earliest," Dr Srivastava added.

According to the report the cost of third line drugs remains high due to the patent monopolies held by drug corporations.

Manoj Pardeshi, general secretary of Network of Maharashtra People with HIV (NMP+), however feels that more attention needs to be given on why patients are growing resistant to drugs. "While a lot of people don't stick to the treatment because of the high cost of drugs, many others are merely not educated enough about the consequences," he said. He believes that treatment literacy needs to be a cause of concern.

Since at the moment the third line treatment is not available at government ART centres, patients have to shell out huge amounts to buy them. "I know of patients who have had to sell off all their belongings just to be able to continue their treatment. Eventually they give up on treatment altogether," he said.

Untangling the Web of Antiretroviral Price Reductions

Prices of older HIV drugs continue to decline
Newer drugs remain largely priced out of reach
Pharmaceutical corporations maintain monopolies blocking generic competition

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