Global Fund Secures Deal to Slash HIV Treatment Price

• 05 Sep 2023

For Prelims: Global Fund, Tenofovir disoproxil, Lamivudine, Dolutegravir(TLD), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

For Mains: AIDS, HIV and Related Initiatives

Source: TH

Why in News?

The price of a cutting-edge Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) drug, Tenofovir disoproxil, Lamivudine and Dolutegravir (TLD), will be slashed as the Global Fund announced a deal with generic pharmaceutical manufacturers.

What are the Key Highlights of the Deal?

• Reduction in Cost:
  • It is possible to provide the advanced pill known as TLD for under USD 45 per person per year with a price reduction of 25%
• Impact of Deal:
  • Reduced pricing for TLD means governments and other implementers of Global Fund grants can expand treatment programmes to reach around 19 million more people are living with HIV in resource-constrained settings.

What is Global Fund?

• About:
  • The Global Fund is a worldwide movement established in 2002 to defeat HIV, tuberclosis (TB) and Malaria and ensure a healthier, safer, more equitable future for all.
  • The Global Fund raises funds on a three-year cycle, bringing longer term predictability in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria.
  • Governments, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations pledge funds to support their mission.
• Mission:
  • Raise and invest USD 4 billion a year to fight the deadliest infectious diseases, challenge the injustice that fuels them and strengthen health systems in more than 100 countries.
• Global Fund Strategy (2023-2028) :
  • Fighting Pandemics and Building a Healthier and More Equitable World:
    • Strategy’s primary goal is to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with a particular focus on making catalytic investments and leveraging innovations to spur faster progress in reducing new infections.

What is a TLD?

• The mainstay of treatment for more than 85% HIV is Tablet TLD (a fixed-dose combination of three antiretroviral drugs, namely, Tenofovir+Lamivudine +Dolutegravir.)
• The World Health Organization has recommended it as the preferred first-line HIV treatment for adults and adolescents since it rapidly suppresses the virus that causes AIDS, has fewer side effects and is easy to take.

What is HIV?

• About:
  • HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which is a virus that attacks the immune system in the human body.
  • It primarily targets and damages CD4 immune cells, which are essential for the body's ability to fight infections and diseases.
    • Over time, HIV weakens the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to opportunistic infections and cancers.
• Transmission:
  • HIV is primarily spread through the exchange of certain bodily fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
• Severity:
  • If left untreated, the virus destroys a person’s immune system and they are said to be in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome stage (AIDS) where they get several opportunistic infections that may result in death.
• Cure:
  • Although there are no cures for the infection at present, the disease can be managed using antiretroviral therapy.
    • These medicines suppress the replication of the virus within the body, allowing the number of CD4 immune cells to bounce back.

What are India’s Initiatives to Curb AIDS Disease?

• HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017: According to this act, the central and state governments shall take measures to prevent the spread of HIV or AIDS.
• Access to ART: India has made Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) affordable and accessible to over 90% of people living with HIV in the world.
• Project Sunrise: Project Sunrise was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016, to tackle the rising HIV prevalence in north-eastern states in India, especially among people injecting drugs.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Q. Which of the following diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing? (2013)

1. Chikungunya
2. Hepatitis B
3. HIV-AIDS

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (b)