Russian HIV Patients Seen as 'Lab Rats' Amid Drug Shortage

Russian HIV/AIDS treatment centers in 44 regions have had to use substitute drugs due to bureaucratic delays in the procurement and distribution of antiretrovirals, advocates say. The Health and Social Development Ministry recently took over these tasks from another state agency, and it was late initiating a tender for ARV suppliers, said Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the federal AIDS Center. It also may have been unfamiliar with the procurement process, he added.

Some patients have filed lawsuits to remain on standard regimens rather than take the substitute drugs. One such patient, "Irina," a 28-year-old computer programmer, said it took her a month to adjust to her initial treatment regimen.

"The first two weeks I felt so nauseous I could not get out of bed," said Irina, who spoke on condition of anonymity. She fears that angering authorities could get her cut off from ARVs, which she gets from a Moscow treatment center. The center replaced the usual ARV regimen with another, less preferable drug, stavudine, which can cause lipodystrophy.

In Irina's case, which she is appealing, the city's Izmailovsky district court ruled that doctors have the right to use alternate treatment if necessary, said Ilnur Sharapov, her attorney. The Moscow City Court upheld the ruling on Oct. 26, though it violates treatment rules stating that changes be made to the regimen only if it is ineffective or causes unbearable side effects. Sharapov likened the ruling to treating AIDS patients as lab rats.

The Moscow AIDS center said the change was to improve treatment, not respond to a shortage.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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