It is no news that HIV/AIDS is a plague that is spreading around the world and at a fast rate. Kenya spends about 38bn shillings on the importation of aids drugs annually. This lead to them seeking a permanent solution, which brought about the construction of Africa’s largest drug factory.
It is estimated that this factory will cost about $100 million at inception. This will bring about a significant reduction in money spent on HIV/AIDS. The factory will also be able to supply 23 other African countries as it will also be producing malaria and tuberculosis drugs. So apart from cutting down on importation, the Kenyan government has been able to build a new source of revenue generation through the export of drugs.
The Kenyan government in association with the global fund and local drug manufacturers are in charge of the factory’s construction. After construction, production of drugs will be done under patents of European parent drug companies one of which is GlaxoSmithKline.
Dr. Jackson Koko, Kenya’s medical director after talking about the factory’s benefit also said it will cut down on fake drugs. These fake drugs create a resistance has been found to create resistance to anti-retroviral drugs in patients. They are supplied by fake unregistered medical personnel who convince patients to buy these drugs under fake unrealistic promises of being cured.
An estimated 1.5 million people in Kenya are living with HIV/AIDS and only 1 million of those are under anti-retroviral drug treatment. With the construction of this company, the Kenyan government will be able to take care of more people and also create about 1000 jobs. For Kenya, this is a mind-blowing improvement.