A fixed dose combination of Tenofovir–Lamivudine–Dolutegravir (TLD) to treat HIV/AIDS is more effective and has fewer side effects, which results in fewer patients dropping out of treatment. Hence, it is critical that TLD is covered by SHI. Over the last year,  USAID supported the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) to prepare a dossier with evidence of TLD’s efficacy, cost effectiveness, and budget impact analysis.

On July 21, the USAID Sustainable Financing for HIV project co-organized a workshop with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH’s) Department of Health Insurance (DHI) to present this evidence to the SHI Drug Council as a first step for inclusion of TLD into the SHI drug list. The workshop was attended by representatives from MOH, Vietnam Social Security (VSS), hospitals, and the Hanoi Center for Disease Control. During the workshop, Dr. Pham Luong Son, VSS Deputy General Director and Deputy Head of the SHI Drug Council, acknowledged that TLD met the criteria to be included in the SHI drug list. USAID will continue working with DHI and VAAC to update the dossier, get MOH leadership approval, develop policy documents for SHI coverage of TLD, and submit it to the Minister of Health for approval by the end of 2020.

So What?  TLD is a superior HIV drug and once it is covered by SHI, it will be more accessible to people living with HIV in Vietnam and will help effectively treat them.