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New Pharmac Funded Drug to Benefit Maori

Friday 2 December 2016, 11:41AM

By Impact PR

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Māori will benefit from Pharmax’s decision to fund a new medicine that combats HIV, an advocate for Māori living with the life-threatening disease says Marama Pala, an advocate for Māori living with HIV

Pala, 45, was diagnosed with HIV in 1993 when she was 22, and is the first Māori woman to announce her HIV positive status. She serves on a number of international organisations advocating rights and support for indigenous peoples living with HIV, and is the executive director of INA, (Māori, Indigenous & South Pacific) HIV/AIDS Foundation.

Māori are often diagnosed with HIV in the later stages of infection, making up 40 per cent of ‘late’ diagnoses in New Zealand, Pala said.

“Māori are less likely to access testing regularly. There are high healthcare disparities and ongoing social health determinants that lead to less-vigorous healthcare for Māori,” she says.

Pala says the stigma attached to the disease, discrimination and a lack of education within Māori rural communities were also contributing factors on late detection in Māori.

“In some areas people still believe prostitution is illegal and being gay is still a jailable offence. So many Māori are diagnosed in the later stages of infection.”

While deaths from HIV have declined dramatically due to ever-improving treatment and access to medical care, infection rates are on the increase, according to sexual health physician Dr Rick Franklin.

Last year 224 new cases of HIV were detected in New Zealand. The majority of those infections (153) were contracted by men who have sex with men (MSM). The number of new infections has increased every year since 2011[1].

Without treatment, HIV destroys the body’s immune defences resulting in AIDS and reduced life expectancy.

While prevention would always be the most important factor in tackling HIV, new medications mean people diagnosed with HIV now have relatively normal lifespans.

From November 1, Pharmac has funded Tivicay (dolutegravir), a HIV medicine from the integrase inhibitor class that blocks the HIV virus from spreading through the immune system.2

Pala says: “Tivicay will provide another option for people living with HIV in our country. Having more treatments available for New Zealanders is always a bonus” she says

 

Expert expresses concern regarding lack of national conversation on the increasing number of HIV cases in NZ

Stigma and silence about sexual health has seen an increase in the number of New Zealanders contracting HIV, according to a local expert.

While deaths from HIV have declined dramatically due to ever-improving treatment and access to medical care, infection rates are on the increase, according to sexual health physician, Dr Rick Franklin.

According to the latest statistics, there are 3200 Kiwis living with HIV in New Zealand.

Last year 224 new cases of HIV were detected in New Zealand. The majority of those infections (153) were contracted by men who have sex with men (MSM). The number of new infections has increased every year since 2011[1].

As HIV/AIDS has become more treatable, it’s becoming more difficult to encourage preventative behaviours and regular HIV screening - which is possibly contributing to the higher incidence of the disease, Dr Franklin says.

Without treatment, HIV destroys the body’s immune defences resulting in AIDS and reduced life expectancy.

While prevention would always be the most important factor in tackling HIV, new drugs meant people diagnosed with HIV now had relatively normal lifespans.

“With good medical care and the right medicines life expectancy is almost similar to an uninfected person,” says Dr Franklin.

PHARMAC has announced its funding of a new medication - Tivicay (dolutegravir), recommended by international HIV treatment guidelines as part of a first line therapy, from November 1 2016. Tivicay is an integrase inhibitor that works by blocking the virus from spreading through the immune system and is a single dose treatment (once-a-day) in combination with other HIV medicines.2,3

Dr Franklin has been using Tivicay to treat Kiwis with HIV for a year on a “patient access programme” basis (meaning the medication was provided free of charge by its developer GSK/ViiV for patients who were ineligible for other funded treatment options).

“The past 30 years have seen significant progress in developing medicines that suppress HIV and its impact on the immune system, and there is still a significant need for new treatment options,” he says.

“Tivicay is a testament to the work of the many people committed to improving the lives of people with HIV,” says GSK medical director Dr Ian Griffiths.

The new medicine’s interaction profile means it can be used with a number of medications, including some used to treat Hepatitis C and other diseases that people living with HIV may suffer from. 2a