BY Brenna Matendere
Government yesterday said it would extend the lifespan of expired anti-retrieval viral drugs by six months instead of the 12 months recommended by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, but insisted that the medication was still safe for patients.
People living with HIV/Aids in various parts of the country raised concern at the distribution of ARVs whose expiry date had lapsed.
The development saw some patients shunning the drugs and thereby risking their health, while others indicated that they were still taking them, but with great fear of side effects.
However, Owen Mugurungi, the director of Aids and TB in the Health ministry told delegates at a National Aids Council-organised workshop in Kadoma yesterday that the drugs were safe despite being marked as expired.
“When we acquired the last consignment of the ARVs, their expiry date was already approaching, but we could not afford to avoid bringing them into the country because we needed the medicine. So we then approached the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ), asking them to test these drugs to see if they can be used despite the expiry date having lapsed,” he said.
“The response that we got was that despite the expiry date having lapsed, we could still use them for the next 12 months.”
Mugurungi highlighted that the ministry had since taken a position to use the drugs for the next six months instead of the 12 advised by MCAZ.
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“So in short, what we are saying is the drugs are still safe for consumption by our patients. They must not panic,” he said.
The country is moving towards eradicating new HIV infections by 2030 and has set benchmarks that must be fulfilled by 2020. These include ensuring that majority of citizens become aware of their HIV status.
The government is also working flat out to ensure that soon after being tested HIV positive, patients must immediately be placed on ARVs treatment, irrespective of CD4 count results.
