In Myanmar, HIV/AIDS patients must spend 4,7000 kyats per month, announced the 55th Myanmar Medical Conference held this year at Yangon, with 1,200 doctors in the crowd.
Statement has been made by Dr.Rai Mra, National AIDS Programme Manager, Yangon, Myanmar.
This amount is the cost of Duovir-N 1 BD ( Zidovudine 300 mgBD+ Lamivudine 150mg BD + Nevirapine 200 mg BD).
In Myanmar most of patients are poor and they cannot afford theses drugs and so they have to get help from NGOs.
In Duovir-N, Zidovudine can cause severe anaemia. Most of parients have anaemia already.
So if anaemia becomes more severe, drugs must be chosen is Triomune30 1 BD ( Stavidine 30mgBD=+Lamivudine150mg BD + Nevirapine 200mgBD). In them, Nevirapine may cause sudden shock. But this combination is more cheaper then the previous one. The cost is 29000 kyats.
The following are the prices of second line drugs.
Abacavir-90000 kyats. DDI(Didanosine)-35000kyats. Tenofovir-about 50000 kyats. Indinivir-135000kyats.
The second ART (Antiretroviral Drugs) are too expensive for Myanmar patients and exceeds 2 lakhs kyats per month and may be upto 3 lakhs kyats per month. So not possible for our patients to go to the second line.
How pitiful our HIV.AIDS patients in Myanmar?