Government has launched a new HIV drug called Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF).
TAF is co-formulated with Emtricitabine and Dolutegravir as one tablet known as TAFED.
The newly launched regimen suppresses the viral load within 10 to 14 days and it can also be given to children of 25 kilogrammes and above, as a single tablet daily.
Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya who launched the new drug on Thursday evening in Lusaka said Zambia is the first country in the world to introduce TAF, which is better and safer tolerated with less bone and kidney side effects.
Dr Chilufya says the simplification led to harmonisation of antiretroviral regimens between children and adults and provide better outcomes.
He said government is optimistic the new drug will help Zambia achieve the epidemic control of HIV by 2021.
Dr Chilufya thanked President Edgar Lungu for what he called unprecedented political will towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
He also thanked cooperating partners singling out the United States Government for being an all-time partner.
Minister of Health said Zambia is the first country in the world to introduce TAF, which is better and safer tolerated with less bone and kidney side effects.
The question, is this drug safe? Who manufactures this drug?
Congratulations to Government though.
Zambia the first country to do something???
So either you’re telling us we are super progressive or are the guinea pigs being tested on.
This is not news. We are already talking it.
TAF has been banned in USA by FDA.its known to cause kidney failure and other ailments. Ba Dr Chilufya are you surely not up todate.
Experimenting on zambians…. Why didn’t the developers ask their own country to introduce it first.
ARVs are the only medicines available in hospitals and that’s because they’re sponsored. Where are the drugs worth $35M that this buffoon announced to the nation? Why build medical hubs when there are no drugs to distribute? Shameless idyot
It is shipped to Zambia free of charger for the Zambia laboratories where the Zambians are the specimen
I think the minister should explain more about the drug and how it came about, don’t give half information to the people.
Who created this drug in what country how did they he arrive at this.
Who tested it how did Zambia get involved, is it the originally zambian.
Who approved the drug these are some of the questions Zambians would like to ask you Mr minister.
Dr.Chilufya, do some research before you display your ignorance. Botswana is far much ahead in the use of Tenofovir, Emtricitabine, and Dolutegravir.
Bloggers don’t just start insulting.do your own research through the internet and find out more about the drug and its efficacy.
Stop posting if you are always negative. Do you expect the government to kill you? Always on the wrong lane. Change yourself before you think of changing the government. Otherwise you will continue blogging until your death. You’re kind of people who think of others when they don’t think about you coz you are lazy. Levels of HIV have gone so low and you yourself can attest but what do you want? Even America is proud but what do want mwebantu?
This is good news.
Just 2 weeks ago I attended a funeral were the deceased died from the side effects of the anti retro viral meds she had been taking since she was an infant.
It’s only last june when MoH announced it had replaced atripla with a more effective drug, and now another is being rolled out.
In the same last year, a US pharmaceutical company was fined $10 billion for hiding side effects of the meds on the market and also hiding a better one, which apparently is this new one.
My hope is that govt won’t be procuring it from the Indian pharma that only makes drugs from another a drug it reverse engineers, in short counterfeit anti retro viral.
Kikiki awe some bloggers the minister meant we are the first to use these drugs he didn’t mean Zambia had manufactured or contributed to the manufacturing process of ARV’s nowonder we are in such a mess has a country
We have super confused bloggers like denkede busy congratulating the government when ARV’S are sponsored by the American people please say ” thank you America”.
This is the reason Dr Sondashi’s drug will never see the light of day. American drug companies have to be kept in money. This is big business for them. If we had our own medicine they’d have no market. Really sad.
The reason no cure for AIDS can be found is to curb or deter would adulterers and fornicators. The moment the cure will be discovered there will be too much sex such that even our wives wont be safe. AIDS is like that thing ichakutinishako aba shumfwa.
If we are the first to use the drug, we are definitely the experimental ground. As long as there is United States in that report, I wonder why it was not tested there and brought down to here. There are people with HIV/AIDS in the states, but why play the good Samaritan on a drug they themselves have not tried. As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing to be happy about.
hIV/AIDS CURE BLOGGER 2019 POST COMMENT IN INDIA
Uuuuu Ba Chilufya.. That med has been own for years in Europe. Once worked with refugees HIV projects in Europe and I saw the Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF). Fyakale bane. Just say it took time to reach Zambia.
TENOFOVIR ALAFENAMIDE drug is still in phase 111 development for HIV prevention, meaning clinical trials are still ongoing, they are still looking for volunteer participants for their clinical trials. Information on side effects of the drug is not complete because it is still being studied. I was reading a publication on HIV saying that The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of America has approved the aforesaid drug as treatment for HIV for PEPFAR (US President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief) focus countries. These are countries inhabited by non white people.
If you say, Zambia is the first country in the world to use this drug then, it’s quite clear that it is being tested on Zambian people without their consent. Look at your ethics regarding research. If people develope other complications and start dying in numbers who will be held responsible for that?
The GOVERNMENT must be commended for attempting to bring AIDS under control. As a layman I understand diseases are caused by lack of immunity and I therefore think that the amount of drugs for other diseases will be reduced by priotising AIDS treatment.