China imports two branded ARVs

China's Ministry of Health has announced plans to provide access to the country's HIV/AIDs patients to two imported antiretroviral drugs, in  response to growing drug resistance, Reuters Health reports. USA-based  drugmaker Gilead Sciences' Viread (tenofovir) and pharmaceutical major  Abbott Laboratories' Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) are the affected  compounds.

Reuters Health also reports that existing therapies cost about 5,000  renminbi ($731.50) annually, although the new branded agents could be as  much as $1,500 per year. ARVs were introduced into China in 2003 and  have reduced mortality from HIV/AIDS from about one in four to under 6%  in the 2002-2007 period.