JOHANNESBURG, Aug 8, 2008 (AFP) - A major pharmaceutical company in South Africa, which has the world's highest HIV rate, on Friday issued a recall of generic anti-retroviral drugs due to a packaging error.
"Adco-Nevirapine tablets, with the batch number 1J, and expiry January 2009, and Adco-Zidovudine tablets, batch number 1Z and expiry date November 2008 should be returned without delay," the company said in a statement.
The recall is a result of improper labelling, with certain Adco-Nevirapine tablets packed in Adco-Zidovudine cartons.
The company recently won a 663 million rand (86 million dollar, 57 million euro) government contract to supply the life-saving AIDS drugs to public hospitals.
The company would not say how many of the drugs had already been distributed.
"Adcock Ingram is committed to the quality, safety and efficacy of its products and deeply regrets the error," said a statement.
The firm and its parent company, Tiger Brands, have previously faced hefty fines by the Competition Commission.
Early this year, Adcock Ingram's Critical Care division was slapped with a 53.5 million rand for price fixing.
South Africa has the world's highest rate of HIV with some 5.5 million of the 47 million population affected by the virus.
Tiger Brands is one of the few local companies competing for drug distribution.
080808
AF080845
Copyright ©AFP 2008. All Rights Reserved. AFP articles contained on the AEGiS web site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without AFP's prior written permission. You may make one copy of each article for your personal, non-commercial use only; more copies would require AFP's prior written permission obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics. http://www.afp.com/
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gill Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Quest Diagnostics, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. This article first appeared in 2008. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2008. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.