New AIDS drug to prolong life of HIV sufferers?
By Nicole Negoweti.
At the end of last year there were a total of 500 HIV-positive people registered in the Czech Republic, 148 of whom had developed full-blown AIDS. Eighty-nine people have died in the country since doctors began keeping records of the disease. Many die as a result of so-called 'opportunistic infections' - illnesses that prey on the body's weakened immune system. Tuesday saw the launch of a new drug - Kaletra - which doctors hope will bring new hope to AIDS sufferers. Radio Prague's Nicole Negowetti spoke to Doctor Marie Bruckova, from the country's National AIDS Reference Laboratory, and began by asking her what impact the drug could have on the treatment of HIV patients in the Czech Republic.
