Court Asks Why India Missed 2005 AIDS Drug Target

On Thursday, India's top court asked the federal government to explain by the end of the month why it had failed to meet AIDS treatment target for 2005. The suit was filed by several Indian HIV/AIDS non-governmental organizations. India's National AIDS Control Organization said a major hurdle to treating 100,000 HIV/AIDS patients with free antiretroviral drugs by 2005 was that many patients were located in dispersed rural areas, making regular treatment difficult. So far, about 50,000 patients are receiving free ARVs. HIV/AIDS groups petitioned the tribunal headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal to ask NACO why the 100,000 target, which was postponed twice, is now an objective to be met in 2007, and how the number of patients was determined. India is one of the largest generic ARV exporters, but still cannot meet its own treatment targets, said the petitioners, which include Sahara House, Common Cause, Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust and Voluntary Health Association of Punjab.

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