Supreme Court to hear on Monday plea over shortage of anti-retroviral drugs for treating HIV patients

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea concerning alleged shortage of anti-retroviral therapy drugs for treating HIV patients in the country.

As per the cause list of February 24 uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan is slated to hear the petition filed in 2022 by NGO 'Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS' and others.

The Centre had in July last year apprised the apex court that the government was ensuring availability of free, life-long anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs for all people living with HIV through anti-retroviral therapy centres under the National AIDS Control Programme.

It had said as on date, there was adequate stock of all ARV drugs nationally under the programme.

The counsel appearing for the petitioners had said in view of the developments which had taken place since the filing of the petition, presently there was no shortage of ART drugs.

However, the counsel had flagged certain difficulties in regard to the process of procurement and quality of the drugs.

The top court had suggested a meeting between the Centre, National AIDS Control Organisation and an organisation working for AIDS patients to discuss issues of quality and shortage of ARV drugs for treating HIV patients.

Anti-retroviral therapy involves treatment of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using anti-HIV drugs.

The plea had claimed that non-availability of drugs at the anti-retroviral therapy centres of the National AIDS Control Organisation hampers treatment of those living with HIV/AIDS.