Thursday 21 August 2008

Ugandan Pharmaceutical Company To Produce Drugs Aimed At Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission


The Ugandan pharmaceutical company Quality Chemicals later this year will begin producing antiretroviral drugs aimed at preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission system in the country, George Baguma, the company's music director of marketing, announced on Tuesday, the Monitor/AllAfrica.com reports. The party expects to start producing the drugs by November, according to the Monitor/AllAfrica.com. More than 25,000 children each year in Uganda contract HIV from their mothers during labor or through breastfeeding. "These drugs will grant [HIV-positive] mothers to safely breastfeed without any worry about infecting their children," Baguma said.

Of the estimated 50,000 children in Uganda who pauperization antiretrovirals, only about 12,000 have access to the drugs, the Monitor/AllAfrica.com reports. According to Baguma, Quality Chemicals imports the latest ingredients used in the production of affordable antiretrovirals to ensure widespread access and to forestall drug resistance (Lugya, Monitor/AllAfrica.com, 8/14).


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