GAUTENG RUNNING OUT OF AIDS DRUG

Many Gauteng clinics are running out of the Efavirenz anti-retroviral drug (trade name Stocrin) that is part of the three-drug cocktail used to treat AIDS patients.

I have visited various clinics and discovered that Malvern clinic in east Johannesburg only has 35 packs although they see 55 Aids patients a day.

Instead of giving a 30 day supply, they are only giving ten days and asking the patients to come back.

At the Hillbrow clinic they only have 300 packs and will run out tomorrow as about 220 Aids patients are serviced by the pharmacy every day. They are giving patients a one month supply instead of the prescribed three months supply.

The Hillbrow dispensary supplies 30 Soweto clinics and 25 clinics in the Orange Farm area but only has 30 packs and is turning down requests for extra supplies.

It appears that most of Gauteng is affected as clinics desperately try to borrow from other clinics that are also running out of stock.

I have been told that there are two suppliers of this drug to state clinics, and that Aspen Pharmacare has been restricting supplies as they are owed money by the Gauteng Health Department.

The other supplier is Cipla Medpro which is a new supplier since April this year and has manufacturing problems.

I spoke today to Dr Kamy Chetty, the Head of the Gauteng Health Department, who was unaware of this problem.

I urge the department to take urgent action otherwise we face a disaster as this could interrupt treatment for thousands of Aids patients.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Health Department, May 11 2011

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