Ministry of Health withdraws nerve-damaging AIDS drug

Ministry of Health withdraws nerve-damaging AIDS drug
By Joseph Mwenda
Mon 07 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT

THE Ministry of Health has withdrawn a major AIDS drug, Stavudine, from the ARV therapy after discovering long-term irreversible side effects in HIV patients.

Announcing the new ARV therapy after two years of investigations and consultations, Ministry of Health spokesperson Dr Reuben Mbewe said a new drug called Tenofovir (TDF) had been immediately introduced to replace the 40 milligrams Stavudine.

“We started our investigations in 2007 and after consultations, we were the first developing country to immediately start phasing out the 40 milligram Stavudine and replacing it with Tenofovir because of its side effects which include wasting and nerve disorder,” he said.

“This is despite the extra cost needed to acquire the new drug because we realised that its benefits are of vital importance to the Zambian people.”

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report released last week, Stavudine causes nerve disorder leading to numbness and burning pain in the hands and feet, and loss of body fat, conditions that are disabling and disfiguring.

Dr Mbewe told The Post that Stavudine was the most commonly used drug among HIV patients in Zambia and that one out of four patients suffered side effects from it.

“From our investigations, it was found that one in four patients had these side effects from the use of 40 milligram Stavudine, but three quarters of them did not react to the 30 milligramme Stavudine,” said Dr Mbewe. “We are advising patients not to stop the therapy on their own, if they notice any strange side effects, let them go to the nearest health centres and get advice from medical experts. Patients who will notice side effects after taking the 30 milligrammes Stavudine should also seek medical advice.”

WHO recommended that countries progressively phase out the use of Stavudine as a preferred first-line therapy option and move to less toxic alternatives such as Tenofovir (TDF) or Zidovudine (AZT) which are equally effective alternatives.

In sweeping changes to its guidelines, WHO also recommended that people with HIV, including pregnant women, should start taking AIDS drugs earlier to live a longer and healthier life.

For the first time the organisation advised HIV-positive women and their babies to take the drugs while breast-feeding to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus that causes AIDS.