UNAIDS Believes In African Pharma

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé visited a generic medicine manufacturer in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on 24 March following his attendance at a meeting of francophone mayors on HIV. CIPHARM, the leading pharmaceutical company in Côte d’Ivoire, produces some medicines, ranging from antihistamines to antibiotics. During the visit, Ibrahim Diawara, the Chief Executive Officer of CIPHARM, told Mr Sidibé that the company wanted to begin the production of antiretroviral medicines.

Mr Sidibé committed UNAIDS’ help for CIPHARM to meet the standards of the World Health Organization for ART production and to promote regional and local drug manufacturing.

Since 2014, the Economic Community of West African States has proceeded a Regional Pharmaceutical Plan to strengthen its pharmaceutical industry and guarantee the production of quality, safe and affordable drugs accessible by the region’s community.

“We have been interested for a long time to manufacture antiretroviral medicines locally in order to save lives in Côte d’Ivoire and the economic community of West African states. We are determined it will contribute to eliminating the AIDS epidemic by 2030,” Ibrahim Diawara, chief executive officer at CIPHARM announced.