India Government to Add More AIDS, TB Drugs to Essential Medicines List

India is likely to add more HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) drugs to its list of essential medicines that are subject to price caps.

Sources said that the step was taken to improve affordability of drugs to treat the deadly diseases. They said that all the drugs on the government's HIV/AIDS and TB control programs are likely to be added in the list.

India provides a number of key HIV/AIDS and TB medicines for free under the government's disease control programs.

However, many patients, particularly those with TB, prefer more expensive private clinics as treatment is widely considered of higher quality. The private sector accounts for about 80 percent of the healthcare delivery market of the country.

Y.K. Gupta, vice chairman of the panel, declined to comment on new drugs that would be part of the list. But he said the discussions were ongoing. "We are reviewing drugs across therapy areas, and there could be additions as well as deletions to the 2011 list. We will have better clarity on when the list could be out by the end of April," said Gupta.



Source: Medindia