US to buy $7.5m worth of ARV drugs for Malawi

The United States (US) Government says it will buy $7.5 million (about K2.33 billion) worth of ARV drugs for the Malawi Government.

In a statement from the US embassy released on Tuesday, Ambassador Jeanine Jackson and the US Global Aids coordinator Eric Goosby announced that the drugs will accelerate a safe transition in Malawi to a World Health Organisation (WHO)-recommended Tenofovir, a drug regimen for HIV treatment.

“This purchase is in addition to the K21.8 billion [$70 million] that the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) is already providing to Malawi in 2012,” reads the statement in part.

The announcement, the statement said, comes after US secretary Hillary Clinton and other African leaders, including President Joyce Banda, exchanged notes on the fight against HIV and Aids in New York recently.

“The US acknowledges Malawi as a leader in the provision of lifelong antiretroviral treatment for HIV-positive pregnant women – an option that provides maximum benefit to the health of both the mother and the child.  

“This newly announced, one-time funding from Pepfar, will ensure that the highest quality HIV drug regimens are available for the people of Malawi, and reinforce the collaborative partnership between the Government of Malawi, Pepfar and the Global Fund,” reads the statement.

The process of phasing out started in 2010 following WHO recommendations.