Local firm could bag US AIDS drug supply contract

South African drug firm Aspen Pharmacare has received the go-ahead from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to produce and supply generic anti-AIDS drugs. Aspen CEO Stephen Saad said in a statement that further FDA inspections of his company's oral solid dosage facility in Port Elizabeth were expected in the next few months. FDA approval is required before manufacturers are allowed to supply generic anti-AIDS medication to the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a five-year $15 billion initiative to tackle the disease. The local firm stands to make millions of dollars by supplying generic AIDS drugs to the whole of Africa via the PEPFAR programme.