In an Australian first, people living with HIV now have access to a medicine which combines three treatments into a once-daily tablet for the cost of a single PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) prescription.
ATRIPLA became available to people living with HIV (PLWH) as of January 1, 2010 and will have both financial and organisational implications on day to day management of the virus.
The introduction of the medication follows new Australian epidemiological research that shows an alarming number of PLWH are also living below the poverty line- a serious concern according to Professor David Cooper, Director of the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR) at the University of NSW.
‘When people have chronic illness it forces the number of people with that illness below the poverty line and HIV is just one of those conditions that do that,’ he told OUTinPerth.
The combining of medicines and its availability on the PBS now means PLWH will only have to pay the cost of one prescription as opposed to three.
As current treatment guidelines recommend treating HIV with a combination of at least three drugs, ATRIPLA will also reduce the burden of medication.
‘It is wonderful to witness the management of HIV become simpler and simpler with regard to pills,’ said WA AIDS Council HIV Positive Peer Educator, Cipri Martinez.
‘Given that people with HIV are ageing, and considering the potential for multiple health conditions needing simultaneous management in the future, having combination medication (if effective) will assist the simplification process and thereby improve the quality of life for people with HIV.’
Professor Cooper agrees that combined treatments are a fantastic step forward in managing HIV but as not all PLWH take the same combinations of medication more developments need to be made in the area.
‘This is one of the most common (combinations) but it would be really good if we could have more, because not everyone can take this medication and it’s better to have more choice in those combinations,’ he said.
‘There’s a lot of choice in the individual drugs but it’d be nice to have more choice with those combinations.’
According to Martinez, while advances in HIV management are welcome, the ideal will always be a cure.
‘Less of a pill burden is definitely better than more, but an accessible cure for HIV is best,’ he said.
Approximately 17,500 Australians are currently living with HIV, of which around 60 percent are taking antiretroviral therapy.
For more information on ATRIPLA or any other HIV medications contact your health care professional.
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