AEGiS-IRIN: NAMIBIA: AIDS drugs in 2001

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

NAMIBIA: AIDS drugs in 2001

Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 24, 2000

JOHANNESBURG, 24 November (IRIN) - Namibia said it would make some HIV-AIDS drugs available to patients from next year. Health Minister Dr Libertina Amathila told a one-day national AIDS conference in Windhoek on Wednesday that the government was negotiating for cost reductions because Namibia was not ready to take loans offered by leading pharmaceutical companies, 'The Namibian' newspaper reported.

She said next year's budget will cater for the new drugs but pointed out that priority will be given to drugs which reduce mother-to-child transmission like Nevirapine. "We are slow [to provide HIV-AIDS drugs] because we have to be extremely careful. These drugs can be poisonous," Amathila said. She warned that the new medicines would mean that people would have to follow very strict procedures of HIV testing and follow-ups since the drugs were "not something like aspirin".

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