By Ma. Teresa Montemayor | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday inspected 455,188 bottles of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs slated for distribution to persons living with HIV (PLHIV) beginning next week.
The shipment consists of Lamivudine+Tenofovir+Dolutegravir (LTD) formulations, the first tranche of an expected 1.2 million units of HIV commodities, the DOH said in a news release.
The DOH verified that the ARVs are safe, effective, high-quality, registered with the Food and Drug Administration, and ready for immediate distribution.
The remaining batches of the first tranche are expected to arrive in the coming weeks and will undergo the same inspection process.
The second and third tranches are scheduled to arrive between August and September.
The DOH said ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have affected the delivery timeline of HIV commodities to the country.
Despite the logistical challenges, the agency assured the public that it continues to monitor and manage the supply chain to ensure uninterrupted treatment and care for PLHIV.
