VOA-MSF Calls for Greater Use of Fixed Dose Combinations of AIDS Drugs

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Doctors Without Borders Calls For Greater Use Of Fixed Dose Combinations Of

AIDS Drugs

Joe De Capua

Washington

20 Feb 2004, 17:37 UTC

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A humanitarian group says if efforts to increase AIDS treatment for

developing countries are to succeed, a simple, standardized drug regimen is

needed. Doctors Without Borders is urging the widespread use of F-D-C’s, or

fixed dose combinations, which it uses in its treatment programs.

According to Doctors Without Borders, fixed dose combinations allow access

to treatment “even in areas where there are few hospitals, doctors and

laboratories.â€

Cohen is the US director of the group’s Campaign for Access to

Essential Medicines.

" Fixed dose combinations are when you combine two or three compounds into

one pill. It’s a way of co-formulating medicines that makes it much, much

easier for patients to take the drugs because there are fewer pills, and

therefore easier to adhere to over the long term. "

She says similar treatments are also available for such illnesses as

malaria and hypertension. F-D-C’s, she says, are not only easier to use,

they are also cheaper to buy.

" We source from many, many different suppliers. In principle, we use the

lowest price quality drugs. So, in this case, we’re paying between $200 and

$300 dollars per person per year for these fixed dose combinations. And

they even could be available for as little as $140 dollars per person per

year in the near future. "

Ms. Cohen says if these same drugs had to be taken separately – in brand

name form instead of generic – it could cost as much as $600 per day. She

says use of F-D-C’s have proven very successful.

" We see in all of our programs dramatic weight gain, steady increases in

CD-4 count (immune system cells), all of the indicators that tell us that

people are doing very well. On average, almost 90 percent of the people

that started on treatment in our programs remain on treatment and only

about eight percent have died over the past several years. "

Doctors Without Borders says it currently provides treatment to “more than

11,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in over 20 countries.†It hopes to

increase that number to 25,000 by the end of this year.

Doctors Without Borders says fixed dose combinations are a major component

of the World Health Organization’s 3 X 5 plan. The plan calls for three

million people to be on anti-retroviral drugs by the end of 2005. The group

also wants F-D-C’s to play a major role in President Bush’s $15 billion

Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Only a limited number of the 20 available anti-retroviral drugs are

currently used in fixed dose combinations. Analysts say increasing the

number would most likely involve negotiations or legal battles between

governments and drug companies over patents and prices.