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Uganda: New ARV factory off to a slow start

Much excitement greeted the opening of Quality Chemicals in 2007, the first manufacturer of antiretroviral (ARV) medication in East Africa, but six months later the production lines are still idle.

5 Mar 2008

The factory opened in October 2007 but still has not received a license to operate. (Image: Glenna Gordon/IRIN)

The spacious factory, which cost about US$38 million and covers roughly 1,115 square metres, can produce around two million ARV tablets in an eight-hour shift, but the National Drug Authority (NDA) of Uganda has not yet granted it a license to produce the life-prolonging pills.

A long inspection process required for licensing and manufacturing the drugs has caused the delay, but factory officials expect it to be granted in the very near future.

Read the full article.