Kenya has become the first country in Africa to introduce the generic anti-retroviral therapy (ART) drug Dolutegravir (DTG) on Wednesday that will be available for free in Government clinics. This will enable HIV patients who suffer severe side effects and face therapy resistance will now be able to switch to a more convenient drug regimen.
According to National Aids and STIs Control Programme (Nascop) head Martin Sirengo, DTG has very few side effects compared to the current regimen available in Kenya.He said HIV patients could take one pill a day, and the body was less likely to develop resistance.
“As we launch the DTG, the Ministry of Health recommends it initially for people who are unable to tolerate the side effects of Efavirenz, patients failing on second line, and as a first-line drug for HIV-infected people who inject drugs,” said Dr Sirengo. He added that the drug would only be made available to 27,000 patients in Kenya, with the backing of Nascop and international drug-purchasing facility Unitaid.
