Supreme Court to Consider Monday Plea Regarding Shortage of Anti-Retroviral Drugs for HIV Treatment

New Delhi, Feb 23: The Supreme Court is set to review a petition on Monday addressing the reported shortage of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) drugs for HIV patients across the country.
According to the cause list for February 24 published on the Supreme Court’s website, a bench featuring Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan will hear the case, which was filed in 2022 by the NGO ‘Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS’ and others.
In July of the previous year, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it was actively ensuring the availability of free, lifelong anti-retroviral drugs for all individuals living with HIV through the anti-retroviral therapy centres under the National AIDS Control Programme.
The government claimed that there was currently sufficient stock of all ART drugs throughout the nation under this program.
However, the petitioners’ counsel noted that while there is no immediate shortage of ART drugs, there are issues regarding the procurement process and drug quality.
The Supreme Court had suggested that a meeting take place between the Centre, the National AIDS Control Organisation, and a relevant organization advocating for AIDS patients to address concerns regarding drug quality and availability.
Anti-retroviral therapy is a treatment for individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) utilizing anti-HIV medications.
The petition argued that the unavailability of drugs at the National AIDS Control Organisation’s ART centres adversely affects the treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS. (PTI)