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AIDS drug giant clamps down on medicine smuggling

    JOHANNESBURG

    Multinational drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has launched a major security initiative aimed at curbing the re-routing of anti-AIDS drugs from Africa back to Europe.

    GSK investigators recently uncovered a syndicate based in the Netherlands that had shipped more than 43,500 packets of antiretrovirals (ARVs) back to Europe in a single year.

    The new anti-smuggling move means that in future all ARVs sold to developing countries will be coloured red, to differentiate them from the white pills sold in Europe.

    A Kenyan newspaper, the East African Standard, quoted GSK's East Africa medical and regulatory affairs director, Dr William Mwatu, as saying: "We have already registered the changes with the relevant authorities across East Africa, and the new-look medicines will be supplied to non-profit organisations as well as governments from this month."

    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

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