New Delhi: There is adequate stock of antiretroviral medicines for around 95 per cent of people living with HIV who are on various first and second-line ARV regimens, Union Minister Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Lok Sabha Friday.
The anti-retroviral (ARV) drug stock status is monitored stringently by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and there is no reported stock-out for such drugs at the state level, the Union Minister of state for health said in a written reply.
She was responding to a question on whether a shortage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs used by HIV/AIDS patients has been reported in various states in 2022. Pawar said India provides free antiretroviral medicines of HIV/AIDS for lifelong treatment of around 14.8 lakh people living with HIV (PLHIV) through 681 anti-retroviral treatment centres under its National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP), which is fully funded by the Centre.
NACO procures ARV medicines for PLHIV centrally following national guidelines. "There is an adequate stock of antiretroviral medicines nationally for around 95 per cent PLHIV in India who are on various first and second-line antiretroviral regimens.
