HEALTH-KENYA: Price Reductions for AIDS Drugs a First Step, Say Activists

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Joyce Mulama

NAIROBI, Oct 27 2003 (IPS) - The prospect of receiving anti-retroviral therapy was brought a little closer to millions of HIV-positive Kenyans recently, with the announcement of a price reduction for some of the drugs that are used to treat AIDS.

British-based pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said earlier this month that it would cut the price of various anti-retrovirals (ARV’s) from between 25 to 43 percent. This comes amidst an ongoing campaign by AIDS activists to lower the cost of ARV’s, which prolong the lives of people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

The price of a daily dose of Combovir has been reduced from 0.92 dollars to 0.69 dollars. This drug is considered the "backbone" of many treatment programmes, and is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Epivir and Retrovir – two other drugs used in the so-called HIV/AIDS "drug cocktails" – have also had their prices reduced. A daily course of Epivir now sells for 0.20 dollars a day (down from 0.36 dollars), while Retrovir retails at 0.62 dollars.

GlaxoSmithKline officials have described the cuts as evidence of their willingness to help fight the AIDS pandemic in Africa. At present, 29.4 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV, including 2.4 million in Kenya.

"The HIV/AIDS pandemic presents a unique challenge to the global community. (The cost reductions) demonstrate…our commitment to playing an integral role in the global response – through sustainable preferential pricing, …community investment, and research and development of new medicines and vaccines to fight the disease," said Andrew Bullock, GSK’s Managing Director for East Africa.

AIDS organisations have praised the move, but say more needs to be done. "This is a step in the right direction. But, we need to ask ourselves how many Kenyans can afford this," remarked Asunta Wagura, Executive Director of the Kenya Network of Women with AIDS. Wagura is herself HIV-positive.

"If the majority of the population cannot even afford a good diet, which is mandatory in the management of the disease, how will they manage to buy the drugs?" she added.

Wagura noted that price reductions need to be accompanied by discussions on improving the distribution of ARV’s. Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that 700 Kenyans die from AIDS-related illnesses each day.

Activists have also accused the government of failing to come up with a national strategy to provide anti-retroviral therapy.

"It is sad that the country has no national ARV treatment plan, while 250,000 Kenyans require immediate treatment – or face death as a result of government neglect," Mercy Otim of the Kenya Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines said recently.

However, the government says it intends to distribute the drugs free of charge in all its 3,400 health facilities.

"Right now, most of the ARVs are being given free at the facilities; only a small percentage is being sold. We plan to reach every Kenyan who is infected," says Richard Abura, Chief Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Health.

At present, the free ARV’s only reach about 6,000 Kenyans. But, Abura says his government is negotiating further price reductions by pharmaceutical companies.

He believes that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will also ease matters. "(As soon as) we receive part of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, we will spread out to reach every infected person."

However, concerns have been raised about whether the fund has received enough support to meet the demands of nations severely affected by the pandemic. According to Aidspan, a US-based non-governmental organisation, the fund will require a minimum of 5 billion dollars by the end of 2004. To date, a little over 2.5 billion dollars has been pledged by donor governments.

The issue of price reductions for ARV’s has been a stone in the shoe of AIDS campaigners. Last month, more than 100 activists demonstrated in support of their demands during the 13th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa – held in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

The WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) say they aim to provide antiretroviral therapy to 3 million people in the countries worst hit by AIDS, by 2005. UNAIDS estimates that at present, only one percent of Africans in need of ARV’s is receiving the drugs.