DOH made the remark in response to the statement released by Network Plus Philippines, Inc. requesting the agency to address the observed unstable supply of antiretroviral drugs in HIV facilities.
In a statement, DOH clarified that the reported incidents of low stocks of antiretroviral drugs, particularly Tenofovir-Lamivudine-Dolutegravir , could be attributed to the unprecedented increase in the use of TLD among PLHIV prior to the targeted full-scale rollout of the transition from their existing regimens.
"However, as the PLHIV community became more aware of the promising superiority of TLD over other regimens through word of mouth, social media, learning sessions with support groups, and information dissemination by the treatment facilities, there was notable increase in the uptake of TLD across the facilities," it said.