Aids scientists give new cheap pill the green light
 July 2, 2004

A cheap three-in-one generic Aids pill from India has been given the green light by leading Aids scientists in what is seen as good news for developing countries. The results of the first open clinical study in a developing country have appeared in The Lancet medical journal.

The study involved 60 patients in Cameroon of whom 92% had full-blown Aids. A team from the French national agency for Aids research and the Swiss charity Doctors Without Borders said Cipla's Triomune performed as well as more expensive brand drugs. Lack of scientific evidence about the clinical effectiveness of such generic fixed-dose combinations has until now caused some international Aids donors to refuse to fund their use.

The researchers found that 80% of HIV-infected patients given the tablet twice a day had undetectable levels of the virus in their blood after six months' treatment. The results are comparable to those seen in the developed world using triple-drug therapy from big pharmaceutical companies. Researchers now recommend that the generic fixed-dose combination be widely used in developing countries.

Scientists say the drugs have a major role to play in meeting the World Health Organisation's goal of getting anti-retrovirals to three-million people in the developing world by the end of 2005.