AEGiS-MISC: South Africa's AIDS drugs program runs into trouble
Agence France Presse - June 2, 2004
Stuart Graham
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CAPE TOWN, June 2 (AFP) - The South African government is in hot water over its AIDS policy after it temporarily capped its national programme to dole out free drugs and blamed pharmaceutical firms for erratic supplies.
The health ministry announced this week that no new patients, especially children, would receive free anti-retrovirals (ARVs) as the demand outstripped supply.
Mark Heywood, a spokesman for the AIDS lobby group Treatment Action Campaign which went to court to force Pretoria to provide free ARVs to HIV-positive pregnant women, said the government was shirking responsibility by blaming pharmaceutical companies.
"There should be no problem with supply, there are supplies of all necessary essentials with pharmaceutical companies," he said Wednesday.
"The government needs to do better planning and it needs transparent systems to ensure no supply disruption in the availability of proper medicines."
South Africa has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world, with UNAIDS estimating that 5.3 million people, or one in nine, are infected.
President Thabo Mbeki has come under fire in the past for failing to quickly deal with the pandemic and for questioning the link between HIV and AIDS.
A national roll-out program was launched last November and Mbeki promised in his state-of-the-nation address last month to provide free drugs to 50,000 HIV sufferers by March 2005.
But less than a week after Mbeki's pledge, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said that a shortage of anti-AIDS drugs, especially for children, was a serious impediment to the program.
The health ministry on Tuesday decided that no more children could be put on ARVs due to the "apparent incapacity" of the pharmaceutical industry to cope with demands.
Hospitals participating in the AIDS treatment programme were told to make sure they had enough supplies of the medication before enrolling new patients.
Health ministry spokesman Sibani Mngadi said the government had secured limited stocks of the medication as an temporary measure, while 10 tenders for permanent supplies were currently being considered.
He said the tender process would be finalised "within a few weeks".
"The South African ARV rollout has called for anti-retrovirals in volumes we have never seen before," he said.
"A secure supply of ARV drugs is crucial because the medication is a lifelong treatment. Interruptions could lead to the development of resistance."
Maureen Kirkman, a spokeswoman for the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association representing 23 companies, said they needed to know the quantity of drugs needed well in time.
"Manufacturers need sufficient lead time and need to know the required quantities and sufficient time to plan when manufacturing medicine," she said.
Kevin McKenna from the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim said it had been able to supply all its individual clients with ARVs.
"We have not been requested to supply the government's treatment programme. The tenders are going to to companies that produce generics," he said.
"If we were suddenly requested by the state to supply them with a massive quantity of drugs, we would run into problems," McKenna said.
Agence France Presse - June 2, 2004
Stuart Graham
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAPE TOWN, June 2 (AFP) - The South African government is in hot water over its AIDS policy after it temporarily capped its national programme to dole out free drugs and blamed pharmaceutical firms for erratic supplies.
The health ministry announced this week that no new patients, especially children, would receive free anti-retrovirals (ARVs) as the demand outstripped supply.
Mark Heywood, a spokesman for the AIDS lobby group Treatment Action Campaign which went to court to force Pretoria to provide free ARVs to HIV-positive pregnant women, said the government was shirking responsibility by blaming pharmaceutical companies.
"There should be no problem with supply, there are supplies of all necessary essentials with pharmaceutical companies," he said Wednesday.
"The government needs to do better planning and it needs transparent systems to ensure no supply disruption in the availability of proper medicines."
South Africa has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world, with UNAIDS estimating that 5.3 million people, or one in nine, are infected.
President Thabo Mbeki has come under fire in the past for failing to quickly deal with the pandemic and for questioning the link between HIV and AIDS.
A national roll-out program was launched last November and Mbeki promised in his state-of-the-nation address last month to provide free drugs to 50,000 HIV sufferers by March 2005.
But less than a week after Mbeki's pledge, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said that a shortage of anti-AIDS drugs, especially for children, was a serious impediment to the program.
The health ministry on Tuesday decided that no more children could be put on ARVs due to the "apparent incapacity" of the pharmaceutical industry to cope with demands.
Hospitals participating in the AIDS treatment programme were told to make sure they had enough supplies of the medication before enrolling new patients.
Health ministry spokesman Sibani Mngadi said the government had secured limited stocks of the medication as an temporary measure, while 10 tenders for permanent supplies were currently being considered.
He said the tender process would be finalised "within a few weeks".
"The South African ARV rollout has called for anti-retrovirals in volumes we have never seen before," he said.
"A secure supply of ARV drugs is crucial because the medication is a lifelong treatment. Interruptions could lead to the development of resistance."
Maureen Kirkman, a spokeswoman for the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association representing 23 companies, said they needed to know the quantity of drugs needed well in time.
"Manufacturers need sufficient lead time and need to know the required quantities and sufficient time to plan when manufacturing medicine," she said.
Kevin McKenna from the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim said it had been able to supply all its individual clients with ARVs.
"We have not been requested to supply the government's treatment programme. The tenders are going to to companies that produce generics," he said.
"If we were suddenly requested by the state to supply them with a massive quantity of drugs, we would run into problems," McKenna said.
posted by Dr Philippe Maslo at 18:17
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