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INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS<\/p>\n
The single pill is thanks to a new government contract that comes into effect next month for a generic that combines into one pill the three first-line ARVs, Tenofovir, Emtricitabine and Efavirenz. Picture: Jeffrey Abrahams<\/p>\n
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Durban – From April 1, HIV-positive people on antiretroviral (ARV) therapy will be able to take one pill a day, instead of three pills twice a day. <\/p>\n
Pregnant women with HIV will also be put on this \u201ctriple fixed-dose combination\u201d pill, no matter how strong their immune systems (CD4 count), for the duration of pregnancy and breast-feeding, to protect their babies from HIV. <\/p>\n
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The single pill is thanks to a new government contract that comes into effect next month for a generic that combines into one pill the three first-line ARVs, Tenofovir, Emtricitabine and Efavirenz. <\/p>\n
Three ARVs are needed to keep HIV in check effectively and to prevent patients from developing drug resistance. <\/p>\n
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the government had moved over to fixed-dose combination treatment because \u201cit is much easier for patients to take their ARVs\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are prioritising new patients and pregnant women for the fixed-dose combination pill treatment,\u201d he said. \u201cFor those who (have been receiving) antiretroviral therapy, we will leave it to their doctors to decide whether to change them over.\u201d <\/p>\n
Describing the fixed-dose combination pill as \u201cexcellent news for patients\u201d, M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res spokeswoman Kate Ribet said it would \u201cimprove adherence and thus reduce the risk of treatment failure and drug resistance\u201d. <\/p>\n
Critical <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is easier to plan, order, prescribe, dispense and monitor adherence of one combination drug than three separate ones. This is critical, given the history of stock-outs and the lack of pharmacists and pharmacist assistants,\u201d said Ribet. <\/p>\n
Welcoming the single pill, the SA HIV Clinicians\u2019 Society said it reduced the risk of incorrect dosing due to patient misunderstanding or prescribing or dispensing errors. <\/p>\n
Patients would also be unable to default on single drugs to avoid certain side-effects. For example, some patients independently discontinue Efavirenz because of dizziness or drowsiness. \u201cFor me, the best thing about the fixed-dose combination is that it will not be possible to run out of one of the three antiretroviral drugs,\u201d society president Dr Francesca Conradie said. <\/p>\n
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Vuyiseka Dubula, the general secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign, said the combination tablet would mean a reduction in the \u201cpill burden\u201d for people and improve the likelihood of people taking their treatment. <\/p>\n
\u201cAbout 70 percent of people in South Africa who have HIV have tuberculosis and have to take treatment for both illnesses at the same time. This means many of us take far too many pills, and that (causes) some not to take them.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dubula said not everyone would get the new single pill, as some patients were on different regimens and the government also had prioritised access. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing is that we need to take our medication regularly without interruptions.\u201d \u2013 Health-e News Service <\/p>\n