Key Facts on HIV Treatment for Injecting Drug Users

The number of countries reporting HIV among injecting drug users (IDUs) has more than doubled in the past decade, from 52 in 1992 to 114 in 2003. Contaminated needles account for the largest share of new infections in China, the former Soviet Union, most of Southeast Asia and in the Southern Cone of South America. Yet IDUs are routinely excluded from antiretroviral therapy (ARV), under the assumption that they are less likely to adhere to treatment and experience virologic and immunologic response.

These two fact sheets, available in English and Russian, provide a succinct overview of the latest information on ARV treatment availability and efficacy for IDUs. They were developed for the XV International AIDS Conference satellite meeting "HIV Treatment for Injecting Drug Users: A Realistic Goal", organized by OSI's International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD), Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network, European AIDS Treatment Group, Gay Men's Health Crisis, Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group, and Thai Drug Users Network.

For more information, see IHRD's report Breaking Down Barriers: Lessons on HIV Treatment for Injecting Drug Users, which was published in July 2004.