However, the introduction of dolutegravir into more health programs depends on two things: how many generic doses the Colombian government buys and how quickly.
“Generic drug registration takes some time,” said Luz Marina Umbasia, director of the Global Humanitarian Progress Corporation in Colombia.
Umbasia explained that the purchasing process usually takes at least six months, although his organization has encouraged the Colombian government to buy doses “as soon as possible.”
This will allow patients to access the drug in the short term, while the drug is still under patent. ViiV Healthcare's rights to dolutegravir in Colombia will expire in 2026.
However, some advocates doubt Colombia's ability to coordinate a quick and efficient purchase of dolutegravir, citing shortages of hepatitis C drugs that occurred last year as a result of delays in price negotiations and procurement of supplies.
“We don’t have a good experience with the Colombian government,” said Néstor Álvarez Lara, a pharmacist and president of the advocacy group High Cost Patients.
He called on the Colombian government to undertake a “very well-planned” distribution of generic dolutegravir to avoid the same dilemmas.
“You have to buy in large quantities,” he said. “There is a lot of mistrust that, at some point, you might have a three-month supply and then run out of medicines.”
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Colombia's Ministry of Health and Social Protection said the government is finalizing a negotiation to purchase a “continuous supply” of dolutegravir through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
It is expected to be available in the last three months of 2024. Authorities plan to start by purchasing more than 800,000 bottles, which will guarantee a year of treatment for about 67,000 people.
Villan considers herself lucky to have switched to dolutegravir. She learned it was an option because her husband changed his medication last year and Villan saw his mental state transform.
“I was reunited with my husband,” Villan said.
Villan added that he had helped friends get dolutegravir when their health insurance ran out. He hopes the new license will expand access and remove the uncertainty they face.
“For the treatment to be effective, it must be followed continuously,” he said. “If we have that confidence, that consistency… we can live a completely undetectable life.”
