Ugandan, Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Partner To Produce Low-Cost Antiretrovirals

Uganda-based pharmaceutical distributor Quality Chemicals has partnered with India-based generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Cipla to build a $28 million manufacturing plant in Uganda to produce antiretroviral drugs with the aim of providing HIV-positive people in the country with increased access to treatment, the Monitor/AllAfrica.com reports. The partnership will enable Uganda to produce antiretrovirals, as well as malaria drugs, for about 30% less than the price the country currently pays. Fred Mutebi Kitaka, finance director of Quality Chemicals, said the partnership will provide a "platform for our local remedies to develo[p]," adding that it is important to maintain a supply of antiretrovirals for Ugandans already on treatment and to meet future demand. "It is important for us to be self-sufficient and resourceful," he added. According to the Monitor/AllAfrica.com, construction of the manufacturing plant began in July 2006. Quality Chemicals has said it will use World Trade Organization rules that allow the world's poorest countries to make generic versions of patented drugs (Abili, Monitor/AllAfrica.com, 4/3).