Pfizer will supply medicine at no charge to patients enrolled in the program for as long as they need it. I am confident the Diflucan program will benefit many thousands of patients in need. Konji Sebati MD, Pfizer Medical Director for South Africa, said, This epidemic is an enormous tragedy for the people of South Africa, and its solution will require the hard work and dedication of many within and outside the public health arena. We hope that our partnership with the Ministry of Health will succeed in addressing at least this one part of the problem. Pfizer began a scientific and medical review of the accelerating AIDS epidemic in South Africa in Fall 1999.
Cryptococcal meningitis is a serious illness that can be fatal if left untreated.
Diflucan is the only available outpatient treatment for the disease. Pfizer estimates that in South Africa, with approximately 4 million people infected with HIV, as many as 100,000 cases of cryptococcal meningitis can be treated through the partnership program. The infection invades the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, causing damage to the nervous system. In AIDS patients, if left untreated, it is invariably fatal. It is difficult to treat, and therefore, an accurate diagnosis is critical to successful treatment.