READER LETTER | SA needs to produce its own life-saving ARVs

Ensuring our country’s improved capacity to produce medicine and vaccines locally will remain a critical undertaking if we want to improve the lives of those living with HIV/Aids at the global epicentre of the virus. 

To do so, we must decrease our reliance on imports and develop a sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing framework that will remain dedicated to securing Africa’s supply of life-saving antiretrovirals (ARVs) over the long-term. 

To achieve medicine supply at this level, the National Treasury must allocate 1% of SA’s GDP towards research, intellectual property development, product discovery and innovation in the healthcare sector. This will help provide South African scientists with the resources they require to develop their own intellectual property rights for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and drug substances in our country.

The Joint UN Programme on HIV/Aids “95-95-95” calls for 95% of people living with HIV to be aware of their status, 95% of those aware of their status to be on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95% of those on ART to achieve viral load suppression. The department of health hopes to achieve these targets by 2030. At present, only 79% of those aware of their status are on ART in SA.

Investing locally in healthcare facilities with the capacity to manufacture the drug substances and APIs associated with ARV and pre-exposure prophylaxis treatments will remain a significant undertaking to help SA meet these goals, while making medication more affordable and improving the security of supply in emerging markets across the continent today. 

Michael Mynhardt, co-founder and CEO at MMH & Partners