Gilead to contribute HIV treatment for 2,000 patients

Gilead, a U.S.-based biotechnology company, says that at least 2,000 single tablet regimen (STR) pills for HIV patients in Myanmar will be donated through the National AIDS Program of Myanmar.

“Myanmar faces a heavy HIV burden, and previously limited access to antiretroviral therapy means that burden is increasing. However, the quality and sophistication of healthcare professionals in Myanmar is great, and they have a strong willingness to treat patients who can immediately benefit from treatment,” Gregg H. Alton, executive vice president of corporate and medical affairs for Gilead Sciences, told Eleven Media last week.

Alton said that STR combines three HIV medicines in one pill, to be taken once a day. Eligible patients may take each dose, which is convenient and potentially reduces the risk of drug resistance. STR is recommended as the preferred first-line regimen in the World Health Organizations’s recently updated ARV treatment guidelines.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Gilead intends to conduct further discussions on the feasibility for potential expansion of donated HIV therapies for up to 10,000 patients.

The medicines will be distributed initially in Myanmar through the Mingaladon Specialist Hospital and approximately 5-6 other treatment centers in the Yangon area. The company is later planning to work with other hospitals in the country where patients could quickly and easily benefit.

“As the program expands, donated products will also reach those in need in more provincial locations,” added Alton.

Recently, the United Nations Development Program began cooperating with Myanmar’s ministry of health as well as other local and international NGOs for the survey. The study will look into the impacts of HIV on employment, income, education, migration, and access to information and medical treatment, examining how these areas affect the health of HIV-infected people in Myanmar.

Statistics from the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS show that the HIV/AIDS infection rate in Myanmar dropped from 0.67 percent in 2007 to 0.53 percent in 2012.

There are an estimated 200,000 people living with HIV in Myanmar and the country has the third highest HIV prevalence in the Asia-Pacific region at 0.47 percent, according to UNAIDS.

As part of the country’s National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS, Myanmar has been cooperating with local and international NGOs to provide antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for over 53,000 patients. Last year, the country provided ARV treatment to 43 percent of more than 120,000 patients and expects to cover 85 percent of HIV patients by 2016.

source: Eleven Myanmar
http://elevenmyanmar.com/national/3993-gilead-to-contribute-hiv-treatment-for-2-000-patients