An appeal for large scale production of antiretroviral drugs in Africa

Abstract

The Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) remains a major global public health challenge especially in Africa. The deadline set for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has elapsed, meanwhile most low and middle income countries did not reach the targets. With regards to the fight against HIV / AIDS, many African countries show slow progress in implementing efficient and effective strategies to counter this pandemic. The fact that most HIV/AIDS programs in Sub-Saharan African countries are still very dependent on external funding to carry out their activities, including the supply of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART), highlights the concern of sustainability. So far, solutions that have been proposed are mainly symptomatic, claiming more budget commitment from government. Without rejecting this view, we call for the implementation of sustainable solutions to deal with the long term ART challenges. A way forward is to promote the establishment of an effective machinery for the manufacturing and large scale distribution of ART. In addition to the health gains, we argue that such an initiative would have a three-dimensional impact: (i) political, (ii) economic and (iii) social.