Fact Sheet: Antiretroviral Treatment for Injecting Drug Users

Injecting drug users (IDUs) comprise the largest share of HIV cases in 20 nations of Asia and the former Soviet Union, including China and Russia. Yet as these countries move to make HIV treatment more available, IDUs remain disproportionately less likely to have access to antiretroviral treatment (ARV). Reasons for this inequality include misconceptions about the impact of drug use on treatment adherence, denial of basic supports such as methadone that would facilitate HIV treatment, stigma in health care settings, and emphasis on incarceration and punishment of IDUs rather than on their care.

Published by OSI's International Harm Reduction Development Program, this fact sheet discusses the benefits and tools of ARV for IDUs. The fact sheet is available for download below, as is a fully footnoted version.

Need help downloading a file or playing a clip? Click here.