PESHAWAR, May 29: Pakistan will begin importing anti-retroviral drugs from India for HIV/Aids from July, officials said. “Orders have been placed with an Indian firm and the drugs would be made available to patients suffering from HIV/Aids from next month in selected health facilities in the provinces, Islamabad and AJK,” they said.

They said that drugs manufactured by multinational pharmaceutical companies were extremely expensive and the government was unable to purchase them. Anti-retroviral drugs were also manufactured by South Africa and Brazil, but they had placed a ban on drug export.

“There are certain reasons that the two countries are not exporting the drugs. One of them is the lobbying by the multinational firms to stop them from selling the drugs to outside world, because they feared that the cheapest drugs by both the countries would capture the market,” the officials said.

Other reason, the officials said, was the legislation in both the countries that placed a complete ban on the export of locally-manufactured drugs. The legislation was prompted by the fear that if the local firms were allowed to export the drugs it would hit the local patients because pharmaceutical companies would then prefer to export more drugs and millions of patients in the two countries would suffer.

“It took the government nine months to register the drugs on generic names,” they said, adding that the anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy consisting of triple regime would be made available to patients in the ARV centres which had been established in the provincial capitals, federal capital and the AJK.

About 12 health professionals, including doctors and nurses had been sent to India for eight-week training course, the officials said, adding that on their return the treatment of the HIV/Aids would get underway.

“Pakistan has at present about 2,500 patients, but only 600 to 700 patients would be treated free,” they said.

They said that strict surveillance system would be put in place to ensure that the drugs do not get into the market, because its over-the-counter sale would create problems.

“It is not a cure for the patients living with HIV/Aids, because it only retards the development of Aids and prolong their lives for a few months, besides approving their life style,” they argued.

An official said that though the drugs had been registered, its import would be done only by the government so that they do not fall into the wrong hands.

“The main problem is the fast development of resistance against the drugs. Therefore, strict measures will be taken to restrict its use only under the qualified health professionals at the ARV centres,” they added.