LETTER: Self-sufficiency in ARVs vital

SA has had the dishonour of being home to the largest cohort of Aids and HIV infections globally for nearly 35 years.

As a country we have (with mixed success) continued to combat its prevalence through education, abstinence programmes and the provision of drugs to slow its progression and curb infection rates. Sadly, the latest estimates indicate that nearly 8-million South Africans remain afflicted by HIV, for whom the most common treatment remains antiretroviral therapy.

From a self-sufficiency perspective, greater domestic production of antiretrovirals (ARVs) would mean greater security in terms of access to this life-saving medication.

From an economic perspective, producers are remunerated whether ARVs are produced locally or abroad. But if produced locally, jobs are created, ARV production grows and adjacent, upstream and downstream industries benefit. The local creation and provision of active ingredients for ARVs similarly benefits SA’s access to ARVs over the long term. 

Being self-reliant and self-sufficient in terms of our medicinal needs ensures that our most immediate health concerns can be addressed in the presence of destabilising global phenomena, while promoting the development of the industry and incentivising job creation.

In the case of the HIV epidemic, this would ensure that a long-term plan to overcome the disease is realistic, achievable and less dependent on external actors affected by their own problems. 

Michael Mynhardt
CEO, MMH & Partners Africa

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