HARARE - Zimbabwes Ministry of Health and Child Welfare is with effect from April 1 going to abolish the first line anti-retroviral drug, Stavudine, and replace it with Tenofovir. Priority will be given to those patients who have been experiencing severe side effects with their stavudine-based regiment. We are also prioritizing those patients who have been on this first line treatment for more than three years because we think that they might have developed resistance to the drug. All new patients will also be placed on this new drug, Deputy Director for Aids and TB programmes in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Charles Sandy said.
Dr Sanday said the new anti-retroviral drug was a combination drug with fewer side effects.
Some of the most common side effects of Stavudine are headaches, diarrhoea, and nausea. In most cases, the side effects are minor and can easily be treated by healthcare providers.
Post published in: News