farmacevtska "neodvisnost" v afriki

Uganda opens first HIV drug plant

A factory that will produce treatments for HIV/Aids is opening in Uganda, the first of its kind in the country.

It aims to reduce the cost of the vital medication by cutting import costs.

Locally produced anti-retroviral HIV drugs and anti-malaria drugs should be available by January, Uganda's health minister told the BBC's Network Africa.

President Yoweri Museveni will open the plant in the capital, Kampala. Uganda has won praise for its vigorous campaign against HIV/Aids.

A factory in Kenya has been manufacturing exactly the same three-in-one pill for several years and is providing the tablets to the East African region.

Transport costs

Health Minister Stephen Malinga told the BBC the aim was to reduce Uganda's reliance on expensive imports of vital HIV/Aids and malaria treatments from foreign countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest rates of HIV/Aids and malaria.

Ugandan drugs importer Quality Chemicals will produce the medicines locally with Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla, one of the world's largest producers of generic drugs. It hopes to sell them in Uganda and other African countries.

"[Ugandans] will have access to a regular supply of medication and also we hope it will be cheaper, because we will be eliminating the element of transportation and manufacture in foreign countries," Dr Malinga said.

Leonard Okello, from aid group ActionAid International, told the BBC that distributing the treatment was the biggest hurdle to overcome.

"The important thing is for the tablet to get on to the table..." he said.

"The challenge is to make sure that the production is followed by a good distribution system that makes sure that the drug can reach all corners of the country."

Access challenge

Finding affordable and effective medicines, which is already a huge challenge, is increasingly unreliable in Africa.

Many countries turned to Indian pharmaceutical companies that produce generic copies of drugs designed in the West at much lower prices.

But India tightened its patent laws in 2005, restricting its companies' ability to copy newer foreign drugs.

In South Africa, some companies are already producing the treatments locally. Other sub-Saharan African countries including Ghana, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia are working to start local production of the drugs.

According to World Health Organization figures, only 41% of Ugandans who need anti-retroviral therapy receive the treatment.

After reaching a peak of 30% in the 1990s, Uganda has cut its HIV/Aids figures to single digits.

African firm seals HIV drug deal

Africa's largest drug company has secured a deal to produce a generic version of a leading HIV treatment for sufferers in developing countries.

South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare has reached agreement with US firm Bristol Myers-Squibb to produce and distribute Atazanavir to about 70 countries.

The deal will improve anti-retroviral drug supplies in sub-Saharan Africa.

Some 25.8 million Africans have been diagnosed as HIV-positive, but only about 10% are receiving treatment.

Affordable treatments

Africa's fight against HIV/Aids has suffered from a lack of access to affordable treatments.

Aspen said the agreement would make the new drug more widely available in South Africa and across the continent.

"Aspen has remained committed to expanding access to HIV medicines in sub-Saharan Africa, where millions are suffering from the disease," said Stephen Saad, the firm's chief executive.

"It is indicative of Aspen's ability to align itself with one of the world's leading companies in an attempt to solve what has largely become an African-based problem."

Atazanavir - which is taken orally - offered more effective treatment than existing HIV therapies, Mr Saad added.

Generic drug manufacturers such as Aspen produce exact replicas of branded drugs whose patents have lapsed, making them cheaper to buy.

Aspen’s annual turnover hits a record R4bn

Nicola Mawson
Consumer Industries Correspondent

PHARMACEUTICAL group Aspen Pharmacare Holdings said yesterday it hit record turnover of R4bn in the year to June from R3,5bn the previous year, its ninth successive year of growth, and was laying the groundwork to triple manufacturing capacity.

CE Stephen Saad said Aspen’s investment in operational production capabilities since 2003 was expected to reach R1bn in the next financial year.

Construction of its sterile facility was nearing completion, and commercial production was due in the second half of calendar 2008. An upgrade project on the heritage general facility had started.

Aspen would also benefit from additional bottle packing capacity through an extension to the oral solid dose facility to cater for increasing demand for antiretroviral drugs packaged in that format.

Aspen had also not ruled out acquiring select Adcock Ingram business units should Tiger Brands decide to dispose of some interests. Saad said “we’d be very interested”, although the scope of the acquisition would be limited by the competition authorities.

Tiger Brands said in April it had appointed UBS to evaluate whether it should sell, unbundle or separately list all or part of pharmaceutical and hospital products businesses of wholly owned subsidiary company Adcock Ingram Holdings. Tiger would retain certain aspects of the business, it said.

Aspen said the local unit, which accounted for 74% of group turnover, had performed well despite price increases having been limited to 5% since January.

Its South African business grew revenue 15% to R3,266bn from R2,849bn, while earnings before the deduction of interest, tax and amortisation expenses grew 20% to R1,053bn from R913m.

Saad attributed the growth to increased volumes and new products coming on stream. The company had been able to keep margins almost steady despite a volatile rand, wage increases and pressures on pricing increases.

New areas such as hormonal drugs should contribute to margin growth, Saad said.

Aspen, which said it was now the largest pharmaceutical company in both the public and private sectors, was bullish on growth prospects. Public sector tender awards announcements were expected soon and it was optimistic that it would secure an increased share of government business.

An antiretroviral tender due for submission later this year would be awarded early next year, and the company expected to remain an “important supplier” of antiretrovirals to SA’s government.

The private sector also boded well for growth, said Saad. The government’s medical scheme should contribute to its growth pipeline, he said.

Aspen’s share price gained R1,10, or 3,5%, to close at R32,20 on the JSE yesterday, after more than 1,4-million shares were traded in 384 deals.
2007-08-21

ASPEN PHARMACARE HOLDINGS LTD - APN

Financial Highlights

APN______________________________________Jun 2007___Jun 2006___Jun 2005
_________________________________________12 months_12 months__12 months
__________________________________________R Millions__RMillions___R Millions
Turnover___________________________________4 025.9___3 449.3____2 869.0
Operating Profit _____________________________1 092.0____895.8______740.5
EPS (c) - Diluted - Headline Earnings as Calc'd ______206.4c____179.3c______140.1c
DPS (c) - Normal dividends______________________ 0.00c_____0.00c______0.00c
NAV (c) - Book Value with Investments at Market____ 443.9c ____333.6c_____240.1c