Q: I have one question regarding HAART medications for my friend. He is in USA and it costs him almost 1800 US$ per month. He is an Indian and works here on temporary visa. Can my friend convince his doctor to get his medication from INDIA? I believe it would be much cheaper than $1800.00. Is there any way that we can order medications from India to USA under these circumstances?

A:HART stands for Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and uses several anti-HIV drugs concurrently. There can be various combinations. Therefore you will need to tell us which medicines are actually required. There is no problem in exporting the drugs from India. One of your friends or relations can send the same by post. The difficulty is whether US laws permit the import of drugs from abroad for individual patients. I am told that they are tightening the system because many drugs, not approved for use in USA, are finding their way to the country. This creates problems for the health carers in United States when side effects develop or when the drug is substandard. You will need to find out from the US authorities. Furthermore, the concerned physician will need to agree. There are a large number of India-born and/or Indian-educated consultant physicians practicing in America. These people may be more receptive to your suggestion provided the US laws permit.