COMPANY HAS POTENTIAL TO SUPPLY HIV DRUGS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

The production line at an antiretroviral (ARV) drug manufacturing facility in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) sits idle, while many people with HIV go without treatment, the UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) reports.

Pharmakina was approved by Congolese authorities to produce a generic version of a stavudine-lamivudine-nevirapine combination in 2005. The company began producing local ARVs, the first pharmaceutical firm in Central Africa to do so, but is now on hold awaiting approval from the World Health Organization (WHO), according to IRIN. The plant has a capacity of 180,000 pills a month.

"We have the capacity to produce ARVs to meet the demands of all in the DRC and still export to neighboring countries," Pierre Mulema, a company official, told IRIN. But the company's drug costs $22 per month, more than most local patients can afford. The only other supplier of ARVs in region is the organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which provides free drugs imported from the Netherlands, according to IRIN.

A WHO official has confirmed the agency is running tests of Pharmakina's product, but added that WHO supports the local production of ARVs but needs assurances on quality before allowing the product to be exported, IRIN reports.

The government also recognizes a need for locally produced HIV drugs, but does not foresee nationwide coverage in the near future, according to IRIN. Pharmakina is urging the government and leading organizations to support its efforts. According to the company, MSF is considering procuring drugs from Pharmakina.