Zambia has banned the use of an imported HIV/Aids drug that was recently recalled in Europe due to contamination and might seek compensation from the company that manufactures it, a senior Zambian official said on Tuesday.
Viracept, an HIV medication commonly sold under the generic name nelfinavir, was withdrawn in Europe and other countries after Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG said last month it had identified a chemical impurity in the product.
”The drug will not be used in Zambia, and we have launched our independent verification on its effects,” said Canicius Banda, spokesperson for Zambia’s ministry of health.
He added that the Southern African nation, where 20% of its 11,7-million people are infected with HIV, might file claims against Roche on behalf of HIV patients if an investigation determined that the drug had caused harm to them.
In early June, Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that Viracept had been contaminated with a genotoxic substance that can affect the genes and cause cancer.
An estimated 100 Zambians currently take the medication through the public-health system and an undisclosed number of others do so through private clinics, according to Banda. The patients will be switched to ritonavir, another Aids drug.
The withdrawal of Viracept, a key part of many drug cocktails used to treat people when they first need antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, comes amid an effort by the Zambian government to boost access to the drugs.
About 115 000 Zambians are receiving free ARVs through the public-health system, a number the government hopes to double.
Banda said African ministers of health would meet in Congo-Brazzaville at the end of this month to discuss the problem with Viracept. – Reuters