Italian AIDS drug firm to treat thousands

Zambia has licensed a foreign drug manufacturer to produce anti-AIDS drugs for the benefit of thousands of HIV-positive people. The Italian company, PHARCO Limited, was confident its manufacturing capacity would help the government reach its target of having 100,000 people on antiretroviral treatment by the end of 2005. Hector Come, PHARCO's general manager, said the company would start by producing adult drug therapies, followed by paediatric doses for children later in the year. Production is set to begin in January, as the company is currently conducting clinical trials, according to a local newspaper, The Times of Zambia.