Government Discusses Need To Make AIDS Drugs
Aug 04, 2003
The government is negotiating with the manufacturers of anti-retrovirals (ARV) to start manufacturing the drugs locally in Uganda.
By Anne Mugisa
The government is negotiating with the manufacturers of anti-retrovirals (ARV) to start manufacturing the drugs locally in Uganda.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Second Deputy Prime Minister, James Wapakhabulo is negotiating with the foreign manufacturers. He revealed this to the UNICEF goodwill ambassador Graca Machel and the UN special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis who are on a five-day visit here. Machel and Lewis met Wapakhabulo last week.
The local manufacture of ARV means that they will be more accessible to more of the affected people in the country and the region at lower price.
The World Health Organisation (WHO resident representative here, Dr. Oladapo Walker said that there was need to avail ARV to more than the about 100,000 who are currently getting them. He said the country has 600,000 people living with the disease while 120,000 are in need of the ARV.
Wapakhabulo, however, said that some unscrupulous businessmen have set up rackets to return even donated ARV drugs to Europe where they have a lucrative market.
Dr walker said that Uganda’s Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) has set up an impressive research centre. He said the centre could reduce the cost of ARV from US$25 to US$15 per month. He, however, said that there was need to sustain the services.
Wapakhabulo said the joint policy has never been put in place because different countries acknowledged the disease at different times.
He said while Uganda came up and stepped up campaigns against AIDS, other countries completely denied its existence there with disastrous effects. But now all the countries have admitted the problem and are desperately looking for a way to stem it.
Ends
The government is negotiating with the manufacturers of anti-retrovirals (ARV) to start manufacturing the drugs locally in Uganda.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Second Deputy Prime Minister, James Wapakhabulo is negotiating with the foreign manufacturers. He revealed this to the UNICEF goodwill ambassador Graca Machel and the UN special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis who are on a five-day visit here. Machel and Lewis met Wapakhabulo last week.
The local manufacture of ARV means that they will be more accessible to more of the affected people in the country and the region at lower price.
The World Health Organisation (WHO resident representative here, Dr. Oladapo Walker said that there was need to avail ARV to more than the about 100,000 who are currently getting them. He said the country has 600,000 people living with the disease while 120,000 are in need of the ARV.
Wapakhabulo, however, said that some unscrupulous businessmen have set up rackets to return even donated ARV drugs to Europe where they have a lucrative market.
Dr walker said that Uganda’s Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) has set up an impressive research centre. He said the centre could reduce the cost of ARV from US$25 to US$15 per month. He, however, said that there was need to sustain the services.
Wapakhabulo said the joint policy has never been put in place because different countries acknowledged the disease at different times.
He said while Uganda came up and stepped up campaigns against AIDS, other countries completely denied its existence there with disastrous effects. But now all the countries have admitted the problem and are desperately looking for a way to stem it.
Ends