Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 5/30/2005

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1 - TANZANIA: Local firm to produce ARVs starting next year

1 - TANZANIA: Local firm to produce ARVs starting next year

DAR ES SALAAM, 30 May (PLUSNEWS) - A local Tanzania pharmaceutical company will

begin producing generic antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in mid-2006 from a factory

in the northern town of Arusha, an official with the firm announced on Monday.

" We are optimistic that the locally produced ARVs will be accessible to many

HIV/AIDS patients in Tanzania, " Ramadhani Madabida, the managing director

Tanzania Pharmaceutical Industries (TPI), told PlusNews.

The company has already started importing the raw materials from China, and its

factory has successfully produced the drug on a trial basis, Madabida said.

He said the Chinese suppliers had assured the firm of an uninterrupted supply of

the raw materials at reasonable prices. He added that TPI had engaged experts

from a German medical organisation known as Action Medeor as well as others from

Thailand and China to work for the plant.

About seven percent of adult Tanzanians, or about two million people, are HIV

positive, according to a recent government study. Many of them do not have

access to ARVs.

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