THAI health authorities on Friday said they are ready to begin selling the world’s cheapest anti-AIDS drug early next month for less than a dollar a day.
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) is behind the first locally produced anti-retroviral ”cocktail” which could end up assisting hundreds of thousands of people infected with HIV battle the virus which causes Aids.
The drug, called GPO-VIR, is a combination of Stavudine, Lamivudine and Nevirapine, which are known to inhibit the production of HIV in the body.
GPO director Thongchai Thavichachart said his organisation produced a successful initial batch of 120 000 tablets of the drug on March 18 and will first market it at six GPO outlets in early April.
”We will sell it for 20 baht ($0.46) per tablet, which is very cheap,” he said in a statement.
The dosage is set at two tablets per day, making the 1 200 baht ($27) monthly cost the cheapest in the world, Thailand’s public health ministry said.
GPO aims to increase production to three million tablets per month over the next six months to meet demand.
Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said the success of the drug could reduce expenses for about 695 000 people infected with HIV/Aids – some of whom have been paying up to 20 000 baht ($460) per month for Aids drugs. – Sapa-AFP