Written question asked by Tony Colman (Labour) on Monday, 7 February 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 February 2005. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Monday, 21 February 2005 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of recent research into (a) the drug Nevirapine and (b) the consequences of that research for use of the drug in preventing HIV/AIDS transmission from mother to baby.

Answer: Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of recent research into (a) the drug Nevirapine and (b) the consequences of that research for use of the drug in preventing HIV/AIDS transmission from mother to baby. [215964] Hilary Benn: Nevirapine is one of the most cost effective and clinically effective ways of preventing mother to child transmission of HIV. However, there have been concerns raised about the extent to which the use of the drug creates resistance. These issues will be discussed at a conference on Retrovirus and Opportunistic Infections in Boston in two weeks time. DFID follows World Health Organisation guidelines on treatment for HIV positive mothers. The guidelines provide for a range of options, that take into account both clinical outcomes and practical considerations about health system capacity in each country, and the difficulties for women to adhere to more complicated treatment regimes.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 431 c379W;431 c380W; 215964
Session: 2004-05
Subjects: Developing countries Drugs Disease control HIV/AIDS Medical treatments Pregnancy
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk