Washington/Mexico City - The drug methadone is illegal in Mexico, but the government relaxed its rules allowing AIDS conference participants who use the drug, to have free access to it. Methadone, an orally administered prescription drug that manages opiate craving, also reduces HIV risk by eliminating drug users' reliance on syringes.
Methadone and buprenorphine are crucial for the prevention of HIV transmission, and help injecting drug users adhere to life-saving treatment. Since 2005, both drugs have been included on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines.
But methadone and buprenorphine are still 'illegal narcotics' in Mexico, as in most other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This was of great concern to drug users on methadone treatment who are attending the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City this week.
Conference organizers, the International AIDS Society (IAS), worked with the Mexican government to ensure participants access to methadone, free of cost, until August 11.
Harm reduction - an approach aimed at reducing the negative health and social consequences of drug use - includes the availability of sterile injecting equipment, accurate information about drug use, and the provision of medication such as methadone to those dependent on opioid drugs.
"We encourage the Mexican government to become one of the regional leaders in promoting and implementing harm reduction programmes ... This is the right thing to do in terms of public health, and with respect to human rights and dignity," IAS said.
China, Georgia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Vietnam have HIV epidemics largely concentrated on injecting drug users, who didn't receive any kind of treatment, said Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman of the University of Malaysia, at a plenary Tuesday.
