Medical personnel say some nine different drugs are available for HIV treatment.
In Cameroon, when people talk of antiretroviral drugs, medical personnel say it is about three different molecules which constitute a tablet. It is said that there are about nine different drugs used by patients for the first and second line treatment of HIV. Amongst the nine drugs, there constitute seven different anti-retroviral treatment (protocols) combinations which medical specialists say could be in the form of either a tablet, two or three tablets for first and second line treatment.
The Head of the Day Ward at the Yaounde Central Hospital which takes care of HIV patients from all the nooks and crannies in the country, Dr Charles Kouanfack, says there are five different treatment protocols available in Cameroon for the first line treatment of HIV. He explains that medical personnel have five different options to prescribe when putting a patient on first line anti-retroviral treatment. According to Dr Kouanfack, when the biological analysis of a patient is presented, the medical doctor concerned will put that patient on any treatment combination amongst the five options available. "If the first protocol is absent, I can put the patient on the second protocol which will still produce the same results required," Dr Kouanfack underlined. The HIV expert says if the first protocol of treating an HIV patient under first line treatment is absent, the second or the third, fourth or fifth can still be prescribed to the patient with no negative outcome. He stressed that the absence of a protocol does not mean shortage of drugs because the other protocols could still play the same role.
As far as the second line treatment of HIV is concerned, it is also revealed that there are three different protocols of treatment available for doctors to prescribe to patients. Thus, if the first protocol is not available, the second protocol can be given to a patient or the third depending on accessibility. It is also noted that the third line treatment of HIV is not yet available in Cameroon. However, an expert says patients who are supposed to be on third line treatment of HIV are already on clinical trials.
