Ghana to produce ART drugs locally

Ghana's government has committed to support local pharmaceutical companies to manufacture anti-retroviral drugs for persons living with HIV and AIDS.

During a visit from the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), Michael Sidibe, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said that developing Ghana’s pharmaceutical industry, including the production of anti-retroviral drugs, was a key point in his government's strategy for creating economic growth.

The public health consequences could be significant in a region where three out of four people living with HIV/AIDS currently lack access to treatment.

“Whatever is required to be done to improve those statistics, it is incumbent on us to do it because these are not statistics that should be allowed to fester, there is a requirement that we do something about it and change these facts,”said Akufuo-Addo.

President Akufuo-Addo stated that Ghana would leverage its leadership role in the ECOWAS region and the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board to make the fight against HIV/AIDS a regional priority, and that his government will increase the capacity of the Ghana AIDS Commission.

Mr. Sidibe, who commended Ghana's support for local anti-retroviral drugs production, asked for Ghana's support of a new UNAIDS model for addressing HIV/AIDS and its consequences.