Ranbaxy HIV/AIDS drugs in WHO pre-qualification list

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Ranbaxy HIV/AIDS drugs in WHO pre-qualification list

Thursday, 25 May , 2006, 08:03

New Delhi: Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd has said that the World Health

Organisation (WHO) has included four of its additional anti-

retroviral (ARV) products in its pre-qualification list.

The products approved by WHO are Efavirenz 600 mg tablets, Efavirenz

200 mg capsules, Stavudine 30 mg capsules and Stavudine 40 mg

capsules, the company said in a statement.

" This is a significant development. We strongly feel that generic

ARVs are essential in the struggle against HIV/AIDS and are

committed to providing high quality, cost effective generics, " the

Ranbaxy CEO and Managing Director, Malvinder Mohan Singh, said.

With these inclusions, Ranbaxy now has a total of 12 ARVs on the WHO

pre-qualification list.

It also has three approvals from USFDA for ARVs, making it eligible

for supplying to the US funded PEPFAR programme.

" Efavirenz is rapidly becoming a preferred drug in the HIV treatment

programme in developing countries.

" The other newly listed drug, Stavudine, is also being widely used

as a first line of therapy against AIDS. Both products increase

customer choice enabling patients to access therapy easily, at

affordable prices, " Singh said.

Ranbaxy has been providing ARVs at affordable prices to countries

and patients afflicted by HIV/AIDS since 2001.

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