China achieves domestic production of all basic medicine to treat AIDS
[People's Daily/CCTV 2004.4.04]
http://www.people.com.cn/GB/keji/1056/2427920.html

[Ed note: The claims in this article appear confused, as China still lacks the permission to produce 3TC, the base of all WHO-recommended first-line treatments]

An official at the Chinese SFDA today revealed that at present five domestically produced ARVs (Anti-retroviral drugs) have received approval from government regulators, and that these five druts are enough to make four internationally recognized "combination" therapies to treat HIV/AIDS. This shows that the production of drugs to treat AIDS has been basically localized [made domestic].

"Combination ARV therapy" is at present the internationally recognized method for treating HIV/AIDs. It combines a number of different drugs together. There are a total of six types of drugs, and there are roughly five combinations. From the five drugs approved for production in China, it is possible to make four combinations, which can basically satisfy the needs of the people suffering from AIDS in China.

The director of the SFDA, said "As long as the quality is good, if it's an anti-AIDS drug we will put both the application and the approval process at the head of the line. Fast-track approval will quicken our country's ability to implement domestic production of anti-AIDS drugs."

The domestic production of AIDS drugs has brought the price of treatment down dramatically. In the past, using imported drugs, the annual cost for treatment was around 20,000 RMB. With the domestic drugs, the annual treatment cost is around 3,000 RMB.

The vice director of the Chinese Academy of Science AIDS research center, Cao Yunzhen, said "China's AIDS treatment work, from the point of view of drugs, has made big progress. From not having anything to having imported drugs, and then to having domestic drugs, and now to having five types [of ARV]. The drugs are basically up to international standards of effectiveness. The release of the domestic drugs has had a deep meaning for treatment work in China."