Tanzanian drugmaker to start producing ARVs in August

Tanzania Pharmaceutical Industries (TPI) was due to start productions earlier this year, but finalization of compliance processes led to a delay. However, the company is now expected to commence production of antiretroviral drugs in August, reports the local Tanzania Daily News. It is expected that TPI will be able to provide medicines for half of 1.3 million HIV-positive Tanzanians and reduce importation.

TPI chief executive Ramadhani Madabida said the drugs to be produced at the Arusha factory would be among the cheapest in the world. Mr Madabida told the Daily News recently that the company has finalized installation of machines and equipment.

"We have done trials of the generic drugs we are about to produce," he said during an interview on the sideline of the Regional Health Conference organized by Germany Agency for Development Cooperation (GTZ) in Dar es Salaam last week. Tanzania has a national HIV prevalence of about 5.7%, but levels are as high as 15% in southern areas of Iringa and Mbeya, the newspaper noted.