Department Of Health To Drop Coverage Of Two AIDS Medications

The Arkansas Department of Health says it will drop coverage for two medications under the Arkansas AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Without the cuts, the program risks running out of money before the end of the funding period March 31st. The federal AIDS drug program helps lower-income Arkansans. The program receives about three-point-two (m) million dollars in federal funds annually. With more than six months left in the fiscal year, the department says the drug-assistance program has about one-point-five (m) million dollars remaining. The committee hopes that eliminating the two medications -- Valcyte and Sporanox -- it will save about ten-thousand dollars per month. ------ In April, the Health Department announced that the program could only support 460 clients and it would start a waiting list. The program is trying to further reduce the number of clients to 425. Eleven patients are on the waiting list.