GOVT CLARIFIES THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF ARVs
By Lukundo Nankamba
The Ministry of Health has clarified that there is no shortage of Antiretroviral Drugs in Zambia as suggested by some media reports.
Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Lackson Kasonka explains that the ministry has just faced a delay in the shipment of Zidovudine, an ARV combination agent used as part of a three drug regimen used for managing individuals on second line Antiretroviral Therapy–ARV-.
Professor Kasonka notes that only about 6,000 individuals who are taking an old ARV drug called Zidovudine which the Ministry of Health has been transitioning from Tafed may be affected and due to its poor side effect profile, it has faced increasing low demand disturbing its global supply chain leading to erratic supply in the last two years.
In a statement, the permanent secretary says in the quest to provide safer and more efficacious drugs, the optimization of antiretroviral therapy has since started with 98.5 per cent of the over 1,200,000 receiving ARVs who are now receiving the newer, safer and easier tablets.
He says the Ministry of Health is however in consultation with the civil society organizations representing people living with HIV to accelerate the transition of individuals on this drug to better and safer ARVs.
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