Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. South Africa

Voluntary licenses granted on cheap AIDS drugs

    JOHANNESBURG

    Pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has rejected findings by the South African Competition Commission that the company charged excessive prices on HIV/AIDS drugs, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has reported.

    GSK is one of two drug manufacturers operating locally who were found by the commission to have "abused their dominant positions in their respective antiretroviral markets".

    GSK spokeswoman, Vicky Erich, rejected the findings, saying that the firm had already reduced the price of antiretrovirals more than once, and their prices were the lowest in the world.

    The company announced plans in June to offer cheap antiretroviral treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS in 63 developing countries.

    GSK has granted voluntary licenses to local generic drug manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare, to supply three of its HIV/AIDS drugs throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join