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According to a UN report, 2.1 million Indians are infected with HIV and four out of every 10 people infected with the virus in the Asia-Pacific region, belong to India.
India, being the third highest in harbouring HIV infected people of the world, is a nation that cannot afford to fall short of treatment and HIV drugs. But sadly the nightmare is becoming a reality. Out of the 2.1 million HIV-affected patients in India, several could be at risk with the government facing shortage of a critical medicine, which is distributed free.
According to sources in the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), the nodal government agency for distribution of the medicine, the government may run out of stock for Tenofovir/lamivudine tablets, which are the key drugs currently treating the country’s majority HIV infected population. HIV infected patients depend on the free supply of antiretroviral drugs from the government as they are expensive in open market and beyond the reach of most patients. If the government fall short of these drugs, their liver would be in danger.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan assured that the stocks would be replenished very soon, while the NACO sources also said that all efforts are being made to address the situation through timely replenishment.
The stock of drugs is procured by the Government from manufacturing firms through a tender. According to sources, floating of this tender is what is causing the delay. Activists have been complaining of drug shortage, saying patients were not being adequate supply of medicines because of their depleting numbers.
Other cures for HIV
Should we be optimistic or cautious? This isn’t the first time that we’ve been presented with tales that an HIV cure is on its way. The most famous of them are:
The Berlin Patient Case – Leukaemia
For a long time researchers believed there was no cure. Even five years ago, a scientist who wanted to work on HIV cure research was laughed at. But all that changed with Timothy Brown aka the Berlin Patient. Brown – an HIV-positive man who developed leukaemia. After first-line cancer treatments failed, a bone marrow transplant procedure was done. Two transplants later, not only was his leukaemia in remission, his immune system actually managed to ward off HIV. Brown no longer takes antiretroviral drugs or tests positive for HIV. Essentially, he was cured. Read more…
Bee venom to cure HIV?
A study suggested that bee venom might have the potency to kill the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine had demonstrated that a toxin called melittin which is found in bee venom is the reason for this. The researchers used nanoparticle technology to target the virus. Particles smaller than HIV were infused with bee venom and since HIV cells are smaller than normal body cells the nanoparticles only targeted HIV.
‘Melittin on the nanoparticles fuses with the viral envelope,’ said research instructor Joshua L. Hood, MD, PhD. ‘The melittin forms little pore-like attack complexes and ruptures the envelope, stripping it off the virus.’ Adding, ‘We are attacking an inherent physical property of HIV. Theoretically, there isn’t any way for the virus to adapt to that. The virus has to have a protective coat, a double-layered membrane that covers the virus.’
Stem cell therapy to overcome HIV?
In a path-breaking breakthrough two American were believed to have overcome HIV after undergoing stem-cell therapy! The news has met with widespread elation with experts believing that a cure might be on the cards. Doctors from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston announced on Wednesday night that two previously HIV-positive patients no longer had detectable virus levels in their blood or tissue after having bone marrow stem-cell transplants to treat cancer between two and four years ago, the Age reported. Read more about Can the MX2 gene stop the HIV virus from replicating?
With inputs from PTI
Photo source: Getty images
You may also like to read:
- HIV diagnosis — 5 tests to detect a recent HIV infection
- 9 factors that increase your risk for HIV
- 12 HIV/AIDS symptoms that you need to watch out for
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India facing shortage of HIV drugs, Harsh Vardhan to ensure adequate supply soon
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