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 The minister said GSK informed them in time and have given government enough stock that will last until the new manufacturer starts supplying. GSK has written a letter, dated 14 September 2005 to its customers, some of them in Botswana, informing them that there is increase in demand for ARVs, hence the company is under immense pressure. The company has now put new supply and manufacturing processes to manage the increase in demand. “However, registration and due diligence standards required by regulatory authorities are such that these processes will not translate into actual supply until 2006,” the letter said. GSK said they have been forced to extend the lead times for all new orders for ARVs containing zidovudine. The company announced that there might be delays in the processing of new orders. The products affected are combivir, retrovir and trizivir.
Local pharmacies have felt the pinch and expressed concern at the shortage of combivir in particular. They said many customers rely on the drug. Mmegi’s attempts to get a comment from Aspen in South Africa did not bear fruits.
General Manager of Delta Pharmacies, one of the dealers in combivir in Botswana, Vaedhyanadhan Murali said the problem is being resolved. He said Aspen manufactures a drug equivalent to combivir, which will be imported into Botswana very soon. He added that the generic drug has been approved by the Ministry of Health for use by people living with HIV/AIDS. Murali said the drug is used in other countries and stressed that it is as effective as combivir.
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