With TLD’s arrival, patients’ quality of life improved significantly. The fixed-dose combination is well tolerated, suppresses viral load faster, is more durable, has far fewer side effects, and has a higher drug resistance barrier. Also, it comes in 90-tablet bottles, providing the patient with a three-month supply of medicine instead of just one month, saving time and money by reducing trips to clinics. “The benefits of TLD 90 are amazing,” explained one patient in Angola, who preferred not to be named. “We can take the medication at any time of the day without worrying about side effects that may affect the performance of our socio-professional life, as this does not have significant side effects. Also, since the compound contains 90 pills, we no longer need to go to health facilities every month, just every three months. This makes things easier because many units are located around 100km from our locations, which increases transport costs for many of us who already have financial challenges.”
In Angola, GHSC-PSM provides support to the MOH around increasing multi-month dispensing (MMD) of ARVs. In June 2021, the project also delivered on its promise to provide 34,000 90-tablet bottles of TLD, which were moved from the central warehouse to PEPFAR-supported health facilities across Angola through third-party logistics. The patient also called for the continuity of work aimed at improving ARV therapy to enhance the quality of life for people living with HIV and thanked all partners—USAID, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PEPFAR, GHSC-PSM, United Nations Development Programme, and MOH—for their support in ensuring that these ARVs are regularly available.
