New antiretroviral tender for South Africa
30/06/2008
South Africa's health department has awarded a new tender for the procurement of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.
Six companies have been selected to supply affordable generic versions of the lifesaving medicines over the next two years, with the tender worth a total of 3.6 billion rand (£230 million).
South Africa is the country with the world's highest number of HIV/Aids sufferers - an estimated 5.5 million - and health services for sufferers constitute a significant proportion of national spending.
Despite the massive burden placed on its citizens, however, President Thabo Mbeki's administration has consistently been accused of under-prioritising the epidemic.
Speaking to humanitarian news agency IRIN/PlusNews, Jonathan Berger of lobby group the Aids Law Project welcomed the announcement of the tender, but credited pressure groups as much as the government for its favourable terms.
"There really has been a substantial reduction in price," he affirmed. "It shows what can be done when you have government and civil society working towards the same goals."
The South African government's ARV tender is believed to be the largest in the world - with 478,000 patients currently receiving the drugs - and yet the coverage rate for the lifesaving drugs is just 28 per cent.
Commenting on the large number of HIV-positive individuals who would benefit from the treatment but currently lack access to it, Mr Berger acknowledged the logistical challenges are immense.
He concluded: "It's one thing to procure the drugs - it's another to provide them to people."
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