it is heartwarming that a generic version of the most advanced drug for the treatment of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) is to be introduced in Nigeria before the end of the year. The non-governmental organisation, Unitaid, which works to reduce the costs of drugs for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, disclosed the good news.
With this development, the drug, Dolutegravir (DTG) which is used in many advanced countries, but not in Africa because of the high cost, will be introduced in Nigeria and Uganda later this year. Kenya, which has more than 25 living with HIV, is the first African country in which the drug was introduced.
The new drug rolled out in Kenya will initially be provided for free to 27,000 people living with HIV who are intolerant to the side effects of the current best drug used in the country. Reports say that Dolutegravir is the anti-retroviral drug of choice for those living with HIV in developed countries. But, its high price put it out of reach for most people struggling with the disease in Africa.
However, the generic Dolutegravir has two advantages. According to Robert Matiru of Unitaid, Dolutegravir is good from a pharmaceutical point of view and much cheaper. Matiru also described the drug as “the most effective HIV treatment currently in the market.” It is taken one pill per day, which makes it easier to take than those currently in the market. Moreover, it causes fewer side effects and patients are less likely to develop resistance.
Unitaid has invested $67 million to ensure that the new drugs can be introduced in low and middle-income countries without having to wait for ten years. While a box of 30 pills of DTG, which lasts for a month, costs 25 dollars or $50, the generic version only costs $4. 2015 statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that about 37 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the world, 70 percent of them in Africa.
It is good that Unitaid has concluded plans to introduce into Nigeria the new cost effective HIV drug. We commend the NGO for the good gesture and urge it to speedy up the process so that HIV patients in the country can avail themselves of this advanced drug that has been available to patients in Europe and America for quite some time. It is also hoped that this intervention will help the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country.
We implore the government to subsidise this drug heavily or give it at no cost at all. We say this because most people suffering from HIV/AIDS are poor and cannot still afford the cost of the drug. Since Unitaid has introduced this HIV drug in Kenya and plans to introduce it into Nigeria and Uganda, we urge it to make available to all the developing countries with high HIV/AIDS burden.
Although the introduction of this drug in Africa, which carries 70 percent of the global HIV/AIDS burden, is belated, it is better late never than never. Let the drug be introduced with efficient speed and given to all the HIV/AIDS patients in the country.
We call on the federal, state and local governments to ensure that these drugs are given to the patients at little or no cost at all. More HIV testing and treatment centres should be established in all parts of the country. This is one of the best ways to check further spread of the disease in the country.
Since the primary duty of government is to ensure the welfare of the citizenry, providing free medical treatment to HIV patients with this new drug is part of that onerous obligation. Let the government not renege or neglect its responsibility of ensuring that the new drugs are available to the affected citizens before the end of the year.