Forex crunch fuels ARV shortage

ZIMBABWE: Forex crunch fuels ARV shortage

JOHANNESBURG, 14 Oct 2005 (PLUSNEWS) - Stocks of locally produced antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are running low in Zimbabwe, the official daily newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the Herald, the country's sole manufacturer of generic ARVs, Varichem Pharmaceuticals, was experiencing problems caused by a foreign currency shortage for importing the necessary raw materials.

Zimbabwean Deputy Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Edwin Muguti said the government was engaging the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe with a view to obtaining priority for the pharmaceutical industry when allocating foreign currency.

Officials were hoping to scale up anti-AIDS treatment with the recent grant approval of US $105 million by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

[ENDS]

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