ZAMBIA: Government announces local AIDS drug production

Local manufacture of anti-AIDS drugs has started in Zambia with assistance from Cuba, Health Minister Brian Chituwo has announced.

A local newspaper, The Post, quoted Chituwo as saying: "We have started the manufacture of antiretrovirals in the country. Batches of the drugs have been produced but we need a compulsory licence from the Ministry of Commerce to enable us put the drugs on the market."

The minister said several regulatory matters also had to be addressed before the drugs could be made available, including receiving certifications from the World Health Organisation and Zambia's Pharmacy and Poisons Board.

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