Thailand’s GPO produces two items of anti-AIDS medicines

BANGKOK, Dec 9 (TNA) - Thailand’s Public Health Ministry’s Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) is now able to produce two different medicines which could fight AIDS virus with prices thrice cheaper than those imported medicines, said Public Health Minister Dr. Pradit Sintavanarong. Reiterating that the newly invented manufactured medicines could save a lot of hard-earned foreign exchange for the country, Dr. Pradit said the Efavirenz 600 mg tablet is meant for patients suffering from AIDS for a long time and have tried several kinds of AIDS medicines in the past. The Lopinavir/Ritonavir 200/50 mg is for adults while the 100/25 mg is for young patients, said Dr. Pradit. Simultaneously, Dr. Vithit Attavejjakul, managing director of GPO, said the Efavirenz 600 mg is now being registered with the Ministry’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Monthly production of this medicine is between 30,000 - 40,000 bottles, each bottle contains 30 tablets. Production is expected to start next January. He said both the Lopinavir/Ritonavir 200/50 mg for adults and the 100/25 mg for children have been registered with FDA already. Monthly production is 20,000 bottles with each bottle contains 120 tablets. Besides that GPO has developed Tenofovir 300 mg tablet which fights virus. Patients will from now take only one tablet in the morning instead of taking two tablets -- one in the morning and another in the evening -- previously. Currently, Thailand has about 1.16 million AIDS patients of which approximately 464,400 still alive. (TNA)