Quality chemicals to produce new AIDS drug

Quality Chemicals Industrial Limited (QCIL), Uganda’s only pharmaceutical producing plant based in Luzira is to start producing Duomune, a new antiretroviral drug.

Duomune, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is indicated in combination with at least one other antiretroviral medication for the treatment of the HIV infection. It is a fixed dose combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and lamivudine. The recommended dose of Duomune is one tablet, taken orally, once daily. In order to optimise the absorption of tenofovir, it is recommended that Duomune be taken with food.

 “The new drug is going to reduce the burden of taking ARVs many times a day as it will be taken only once,” Samuel Opio, the plant’s pharmacist said in an interview.

WHO recommends Duomune as a first line treatment for HIV infections in infected adults over 18 years of age. The drug is not recommended for use in children and adolescents below 18 years due to insufficient data on safety and efficacy.

Emmanuel Katongole, the executive director Quality Chemicals says production is due to begin in three months after National Drug Authority (NDA) approved of the drug and production procedure.

The cost of Duomune’s monthly dose is yet to be established.

Meanwhile, the anti corruption coalition wants government to take action against quality chemicals for breach of contract and inflating the prices of ARVs and anti malarials sold to government.

Cissy Kagaba the executive director Anti corruption coalition alleges that Quality Chemicals has breached the agreement to manufacture all drugs here as only 16% is manufactured and the rest imported. She adds that in order to fulfil its contracts for the drugs, Quality Chemical started importing Cipla's ACT Lumartem, an antimalarial therapy instead of producing it.

 “According to the 2011 IGG report, Quality Chemicals has been acting as a middleman for government to purchase drugs abroad but instead they have inflated prices causing a shs. 44 billion loss,” Kagaba said.

However Katongole has dismissed the allegations saying they are false and aim at spoiling the company’s image.