Funding starts for long-awaited HIV drug
HIV positive people running out of treatment options are relaxing a little with Pharmac advising that funding for a long-awaited HIV drug will kick in on October 1st.
Raltegravir, marketed as Isentress
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Raltegravir, a new anti-retroviral drug which has been available and funded in Australia and other countries for some time, has until now been available to only a few Kiwis on a compassionate access basis whereby the manufacturer, Merck Sharpe and Dhome, offered free treatments to those most in need.
Three months ago, in a rare move, a number of HIV professionals, including the NZAF and highly-placed infectious diseases specialists accused Pharmac, the government drug funder, of relegating New Zealand to second class status and putting lives at risk by not funding cutting-edge drugs Raltegravir and Darunavir.
Darunavir has yet to be funded.
