35 Russian regions reportedly decline to purchase antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients

Dozens of Russian regions have decreased their participation in purchase programs for antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications for people living with HIV. In 2018, 35 out of 85 regions declined to purchase ART drugs, Kommersant reported based on research conducted by the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition. In 2017, 21 regions did not purchase their own medications for HIV treatment.

Kommersant explained that antiretroviral drugs are also purchased on a national level in Russia but that regions typically participate in the effort to provide ART to patients using their own funds in order to ensure that the treatments reach a broader range of individuals.

According to Russia’s federal regulatory agency for consumer protection and welfare, more than 101,000 cases of HIV infection were diagnosed in the country in 2018.