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Radio tracking planned for diverted ARVs

    JOHANNESBURG

    Multinational drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced plans on Wednesday to tackle counterfeiting and diversion of its anti-AIDS drug, Trizivir, by radio tracking.

    GSK said in a statement that it had already begun distributing new supplies of the drug tagged with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as part of a pilot project.

    The pharmaceutical industry's programme of supplying antiretrovirals (ARVs) to Africa at preferential prices has been continuously undermined by illegal traders, who diverted the drugs to Europe for resale at the full price.

    Investigations by Belgian customs found some three million doses of GSK's Combivir, earmarked for sale in Africa at about US $0.78 per dose, which had made their way onto European pharmacy shelves at about $5.94 per dose, while quantities of Trizivir had also been illegally diverted to Europe.

    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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