HEALTH-CUBA: Global AIDS Fund Boosts Assistance

[Mika]

HEALTH-CUBA: Global AIDS Fund Boosts Assistance

The Global Fund will provide Cuba with a total of 26.1 million dollars over the 2005-2008 period, reported Raffaella Garutti of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), who is responsible for overseeing the project's execution.

Garutti told IPS that the Cuban initiative is considered the best "of all the projects supported by the Fund in 133 countries."

She also praised the "political will" to fight the epidemic shown by the Cuban government.

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The Cuban government provides antiretroviral drugs free of charge to all those who require them. As of Apr. 26, there were 1,873 people in Cuba receiving antiretroviral therapy, according to official figures.

Since 2001, Cuba has produced four reverse transriptase inhibitors (AZT, d4T, ddI and 3TC) and the protease inhibitor Indinavid in its own laboratories for use in antiretroviral treatment.

But there are newer antiretroviral drugs that Cuba cannot manufacture because they are subject to exclusive patent rights held by big pharmaceutical companies, a fact that also makes these medications extremely costly.

more at.. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=30006