Tamil Nadu rolls out second-line AIDS treatment

January 24, 2008

New Delhi, Jan 23 : Nineteen of 21 HIV/AIDS patients in Tamil Nadu

were found to have developed resistance to first-line drugs in a

first of its kind screening, thus requiring second-line drug

treatment, which was rolled out in the state Wednesday.

" Today we rolled out the second line Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART)

for AIDS patients, " Supriya Sahu, project director of Tamil Nadu

State Aids Control Society (TNSACS), told IANS over phone from

Tambaram, 20 km from Chennai.

" Of the 21 people screened, 19 were found to have developed

resistance to first-line drugs. They underwent Viral Load Tests and

19 have been found eligible for the second-line therapy, " Sahu added.

There are 2.5 million HIV/AIDS patients in India. Tamil Nadu is home

to nearly 170,000 patients, of which 26,000 are under first-line drug

treatment.

Sahu said a weekly assessment would be conducted at the Government

Hospital for Thoracic Medicine (GHTM), Tambaram, to decide on those

HIV positive people who are on ART and have developed resistance to

first-line treatment.

On Dec 1, 2007, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had announced that

second-line drugs would be rolled out in two hospitals - J.J.

Hospital (Mumbai) and GHTM (Tamil Nadu).

Sahu said second line ART would cost at least Rs.8,000 per month per

patient. " But the government is providing it free " .

Initially only patients in Mumbai and Chennai will have access to the

free treatment. But the government is planning to reach out to more

people by April 1 when it launches 10 more centres across the country.

These centres of excellence are being developed by NACO and will have

state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities, trained manpower and adequate

research facilities in HIV/AIDS, TNSACS officials explained.

A special panel of experts set up by NACO would conduct the patient

selection for second line treatment. The panel shall ensure that a

very strict adherence to protocol is maintained for patients on

second line ART and shall monitor them closely to record its effects,

officials said.

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