DRUG barons engaged in the illicit ‘export-back’ business of highly subsidised anti-retroviral drugs to Europe from Africa, are in for a shock.
By Geoffrey Kamali
DRUG barons engaged in the illicit ‘export-back’ business of highly subsidised anti-retroviral drugs to Europe from Africa, are in for a shock. Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), German producers of Crixivan, one of the HIV drugs, has introduced new packaging for its low priced products to Africa. The anti-retrovirals are sold by major producers to a number of developing countries under the Accelerated Access Initiative, managed by the UNAIDS programme. It is expected that other major producers of antiretrovirals will take similar action, making it difficult for middlemen to sell back the drugs to high priced markets in Europe.