Johannesburg - South Africa on Thursday awarded a R5.9bn
contract to supply life-prolonging HIV medicine to 12 international and
domestic firms, to deal with the country's biggest health problem.
Companies that include Aspen Pharmacare Holdings [JSE:APN],
Abbott Laboratories and Adcock Ingram Holdings [JSE:AIP] would share the
contract, the health department said.
The R5.9bn contract, effective from April next year, aims to
increase the number of people on treatment by nearly 50%, to 2.5 million next
year.
South Africa has nearly 6 million people infected with HIV -
one of the heaviest caseloads in the world. It also has one of largest
treatment programmes.
But drug makers are unlikely to rake in big profits from the
government award, analysts have said, given the stiff competition in the
bidding.
The health department said it saved R2.2bn on the new
contract, which it initially expected it would cost R8.1bn.
Aspen Pharmacare, the country's biggest generic drugs maker,
was awarded 20% of the contract while its closest domestic rival, Adcock Ingram
was given 14%, the health department said.
Other contracts winners included Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories with 8.1%, and domestic firm Cipla Medpro South Africa [JSE:CMP] with 9%.