Proposal Increases Access To Hiv Treatments

Pharmac Proposal Increases Access To Hiv Treatments

The New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF) has warmly welcomed the announcement, by PHARMAC, that it is seeking feedback on a proposal to widen access to government-funded antiretroviral medications. NZAF Director Positive Health, Eamonn Smythe says, “developing resistance to antiretroviral therapy is a serious challenge in HIV treatment. In the past, when drug resistance has developed, there have been limited subsidised options for people living with HIV in New Zealand.

If successful, the proposal would allow combinations of up to four antiretrovirals - the highly effective medications used to treat HIV - to be funded. The NZAF and others working in the sector have lobbied to increase the number of subsidised antiretrovirals to four since 2007.

Smythe says “combinations of four funded antiretroviral treatments have been available to people living with HIV in other countries. This proposal will greatly improve the options that HIV specialists have when prescribing for New Zealander’s living with HIV”.

There are currently 1,100-1,200 people taking antiretroviral treatment in New Zealand although the number of people with HIV is probably higher as many people do not need to start treatment for some time after diagnosis.

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