Cipla's South African arm wins Rs 1095 cr aids drug tender

Cipla’s South African subsidiary, Cipla Medpro, has been awarded R2 billion (about Rs 1095 crore) tender South African government to supply anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs for 2015-17. The contract is effective from April 1, 2015 and will run for a period of three years.
 
Subhanu Saxena, MD & Global CEO, Cipla Limited, said, “We are extremely proud to have won this tender which is not only testament to our high quality product portfolio, but is also in line with Cipla’s ethos of advancing healthcare for all South Africans. We look forward to continuing this partnership with government - united in the fight against aids.”
 
Paul Miller, CEO of Cipla Medpro, said, “Cipla is known as a pioneer of fixed dose combinations following Cipla’s Dr Yusuf Hamied’s accomplishment of making aids medication available for a dollar a day in 2001. Cipla also went further and made this triple combination available in the world’s first 3-in-1 combination ARV.”
 
He added, “We intend to continue this proud tradition and build on the foundation laid to continue our quest of providing affordable healthcare to all.
 
This latest Government tender win is the third in the last year for the growing pharmaceutical company, and follows Cipla Medpro winning a R280 million state therapeutic drug tender (in August 2014) and a R345 million national respiratory tender (in June 2014).
 
The medication will be produced at its state-of-the-art, 23 000 square meter manufacturing site, Cipla Medpro Manufacturing (CMM), which is based in Kwazulu-Natal.
 
The organisation is currently developing unique fixed dose combinations (FDCs) and formulations and will continue to promote new molecules and innovative fixed-dose combinations as well as licencing agreements to ensure fair returns for investors and affordable prices for patients.