[e-drug] Heat-stable Lop/r for Africa thanks to MSF

["E-Drug" <e-drug@healthnet.org>]

E-DRUG: Heat-stable Lop/r for Africa thanks to MSF
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New-Version Kaletra Victory for MSF
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks NEWS
July 26, 2006
Posted to the web July 26, 2006
Johannesburg

A new version of the second-line antiretroviral (ARV) drug, Kaletra, began arriving in parts of West and Southern Africa this week, thanks to the efforts of the international medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

MSF has been trying to obtain the updated heat-resistant formulation of
the drug from Abbott Laboratories for almost a year, after hearing that it
was already on shelves in the US but not yet available in developing
countries, where it was desperately needed.

The new version of Kaletra can be safely stored without using a
refrigerator and need not be taken with food - both critical advantages
to HIV-positive people in resource-poor areas.

Although pleased with the achievement, Marta Darder, who coordinates
access to essential medicines at MSF, told PlusNews that much more still had to be done to make the drug universally accessible, including in Asia and Latin America.

"The drugs are currently only available in three African countries, but
what of all the other resource-limited settings across the globe where
erratic electricity supply is an everyday occurrence?" Darder commented.

Shipments of new Kaletra arrived in Cameroon and South Africa last week,
followed by another consignment this Tuesday in Lagos, Nigeria's largest
city.

Kaletra is already being used as a second-line treatment regimen by the
South African government in its national ARV rollout programme.

The medication has not yet been officially registered in the recipient
countries, and "special authorisation" was obtained after MSF met with
drug regulatory officials.

"Despite earlier concerns about the cost of the newer version [which
retails at US$9,000 per person per year], we also managed to secure
these shipments at the price of the older version [$500 per person per year],
and yet this is just a drop in the ocean when considering the true extent of
the pandemic in Africa."

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 10 percent of the world's population, but
has an estimated 60 percent of the people living with HIV/AIDS.

"What we need now is for all stakeholders to help us put even more
pressure on Abbott. Governments and civil service organisations are encouraged to work with MSF to secure greater stocks of this vital drug," said Darder.

South African AIDS lobby group Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is
already supporting MSF's drug access drive by suggesting that Abbott grant
licenses to generic drug firms, allowing them to manufacture even cheaper
versions of the life-prolonging medicine.

"This win for MSF is an important development for wider access to
second-line ARV therapies in poor countries, but even the cost of the
older versions of Kaletra is still too exorbitant for many people living below
the poverty line," TAC's Nathan Geffen told PlusNews.

Geffen pointed out that even at $500 per year, Kaletra remained the
costliest anti-AIDS drug on the international market.

The medicine is a key second-line ARV that is used after HIV-positive
people develop severe side effects from first-line combinations, or
resistance to them - a growing problem, according to MSF.

Drug manufacturers and regulatory authorities have been told that unless
they start fast-tracking the availability of affordable second-line
drugs, a crisis could occur as larger numbers of patients start developing
resistance to first-line treatments.

Abbott, who is the sole suppliers of Kaletra, said it was working as
fast as possible to have the new version of its drug registered in developing
countries.

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]