The Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MACS) on Wednesday stated that it has enough TLD stock for 4.78 months as on August 3, urging the PLHIV community not to panic and maintain calm concerning the media reports and social media posts on the alleged shortage of ARV medicines.
Concerning the status of Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs in ARTCs under MACS, there are 13,802 People Living With HIV (PLHIV) currently on ART in the state under the care of MACS and of this, 11,769 (85 per cent) are on TLD (ARV medicines), stated a release issued by project director Manipur State AIDS Control Society Haobam Rosita.
However, for some of the paediatrics medicines, which are low in stock, MACS is managing it with adult ARV medicines through dose management, it stated.
It mentioned that all the Anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs are centrally procured and supplied by National AIDS Control Organization (NACO). However, since May 5, SACSs have been instructed to locally procure some of the ARV drugs, it further stated.
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Accordingly, MACS had completed the first procurement of three medicines and the second procurement for four paediatrics medicines and seven adult medicines is under process, it stated. In extreme conditions of total stock out positions of the medicines, as per NACO directive, individual PLHIVs can purchase the medicines for not more than one month and reimbursement can be claimed from MACS, it added.
There are occasions where such incidents have happened and MACS had done the reimbursements to PLHIVs after submitting proper bills and vouchers and other relevant documents, it stated. Regarding complains on regime change, MACS is doing phase wise transitions of PLHIV on specific NNRTI (Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor) and PI (Protease Inhibitor) based ARV regimen to DTG (Dolutegravir) based regimen as per directions from NACO, it added.
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