Cipla Uganda taps into lucrative Botswana market

Uganda's Cipla Quality Chemicals (CQCIL) has completed its first shipment of antiretrovirals to Botswana, one of the most lucrative markets for the lifesaving HIV/ AIDS drugs.

A second shipment is planned for later this month, according to well-placed sources in the firm. Botswana, World Bank and UNAIDS jointly commissioned an HIV/AIDS investment analysis, which estimated that $964m (sh3.6 trillion) was spent in Botswana on HIV/AIDS over a six-year period from 2012 to 2018.

Annual spending data however shows a downward trend from $183m (sh679b) in 2012/13 to $154m (sh571m) by 2017/18.

With a 20.3% HIV prevalence among adults, Botswana is one of the countries where the pandemic is the most prevalent.

Botswana was the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to distribute universal free ARVs to people living with HIV/AIDS.

A statement from Cipla Uganda indicates that Bostwana's audit on the availability of medicine such as ARVs in preparation for COVID-19 restrictions indicated that they needed to acquire 2.3 million doses of ARVs to meet the demand for the adults living with HIV for nine months.

Cipla says they were able to meet the country's demand of the fixed-dose combination of tenofovir, lamivudine, dolutegravir - the country's first-line ARV.

Nevin Bradford, Cipla Uganda's chief executive officer, said the first shipment of 600,000 packs to Botswana arrived and was handed over to their Central Medical Stores.

The second shipment of 400,000 packs will be made later this month. "Botswana faced a potentially critical situation in terms of shortage of essential medicine.

We are proud that Cipla was able to rise to the challenge and ensure that people have access to life-saving medicine while delivering on our ‘Africa for Africa' commitment," Bradford said.

He pointed out that Cipla recently also dispatched 300,000 packs of ARVs to South Africa and is set to deliver 1.5 million malaria treatments to Kenya.

In an earlier interview, Bradford said Cipla was at the end of negotiations to acquire a private market distributor in Uganda to be able to enter the local retail market for medicines.

Meanwhile, all USE's share index dropped to 1,320.37 from 1,335.36 due to cross-listed stock since the local share index remained at 339.82 for two straight days.

Turnover closed at sh5m on Tuesday mostly due to business on the Stanbic counter. Other active counters were New Vision and Umeme.