Fake AIDS drugs linked to unlicensed Namibians

By: TANGENI AMUPADHI

A NAMIBIAN company accused of selling fake AIDS medicines in West Africa has no licence to make the anti-retroviral drugs.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services said yesterday that

preliminary investigations had disclosed that Selchi

Pharmaceuticals was not even registered as a drug manufacturer in

Namibia.

The Ministry's probe followed a World Health Organisation (WHO)

warning last year that Selchi Pharmaceuticals had exported a

"counterfeit triple anti-retroviral combination" drug known as

Ginovir 3D to Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

 

A spokesperson for Selchi Garments - the only Selchi business

firm listed in the Windhoek telephone directory - yesterday denied

that her company had sold anti-retrovirals to the West African

nation or anywhere else, but did say it had sought registration as

a drugs manufacturer.

 

The WHO said a French laboratory had analysed Ginovir 3D and

found no definite trace of any of the three elements listed on the

label.

 

On the website of a Singaporean company that makes the drug, it

states that a Ginovir 3D capsule contains 200 mg of zidovudine, 150

mg of lamivudine and 40mg of indinavir.

 

But laboratory tests did not find any lamivudine or

indinavir.

 

Instead, each capsule contained stavudine "in addition to a

non-identified substance".

 

In a special alert posted on the internet, the WHO said that

Selchi Pharmaceuticals, which it described as a company with a

Windhoek mailbox, manufactured Ginovir 3D.

 

But one of Selchi's business partners, a woman who identified

herself only as Selma, said a plan last year to make and distribute

the anti-retrovirals never got off the ground after the Ministry of

Health refused Selchi a licence because there was no pharmacist in

the company.

 

Permanent Secretary Kalumbi Shangula said on Monday: "We

identified the place but it's so strange that the name is linked to

fishing, not pharmaceuticals".

 

(This is thought to be an allusion to another member of the

Selchi group of companies.) Selma said the only drugs Selchi had

possessed were the samples sent to the Health Ministry and the

WHO.

 

"When they said it was counterfeit and refused to register us we

dropped it altogether.

 

We just got samples, but not for distribution.

 

Why would we distribute to other countries while we have people

who need that tablet?" said Selma.

 

Ginovir is legally manufactured by GB King-Repa Trading, part of

the K&K group of companies operating in the People's Republic

of China, Singapore and Taiwan.

 

They sell other anti-AIDS drugs under the brand names Stavir,

Laxivir, Lamivir and Indivir.

 

Selma said Selchi had responded to a request by GB King-Repa's

Singapore office for a Namibian distributor.

 

Selma said she did not know how AIDS drugs with labels

identifying her company as the manufacturer ended up in Ivory

Coast.

 

It is unclear whether Ginovir is still being sold in West

Africa.

 

Shangula said the AIDS medicine had not been brought into

Namibia, but he was awaiting the final report of an investigation

of the whole matter.

 

"What we want is the person dealing with pharmaceuticals, not

the fishing business," said Shangula.

 

A WHO representative in Windhoek, Dr Desta Tiruneh, said the UN

agency was still waiting to hear from the Health Ministry.

 

"As the WHO, we have no authority.

 

We just pass information to Government to investigate" and take

steps, he said.

 

The Ministry's probe followed a World Health Organisation (WHO)

warning last year that Selchi Pharmaceuticals had exported a

"counterfeit triple anti-retroviral combination" drug known as

Ginovir 3D to Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). A spokesperson for

Selchi Garments - the only Selchi business firm listed in the

Windhoek telephone directory - yesterday denied that her company

had sold anti-retrovirals to the West African nation or anywhere

else, but did say it had sought registration as a drugs

manufacturer. The WHO said a French laboratory had analysed Ginovir

3D and found no definite trace of any of the three elements listed

on the label. On the website of a Singaporean company that makes

the drug, it states that a Ginovir 3D capsule contains 200 mg of

zidovudine, 150 mg of lamivudine and 40mg of indinavir. But

laboratory tests did not find any lamivudine or indinavir. Instead,

each capsule contained stavudine "in addition to a non-identified

substance". In a special alert posted on the internet, the WHO said

that Selchi Pharmaceuticals, which it described as a company with a

Windhoek mailbox, manufactured Ginovir 3D. But one of Selchi's

business partners, a woman who identified herself only as Selma,

said a plan last year to make and distribute the anti-retrovirals

never got off the ground after the Ministry of Health refused

Selchi a licence because there was no pharmacist in the company.

Permanent Secretary Kalumbi Shangula said on Monday: "We identified

the place but it's so strange that the name is linked to fishing,

not pharmaceuticals". (This is thought to be an allusion to another

member of the Selchi group of companies.) Selma said the only drugs

Selchi had possessed were the samples sent to the Health Ministry

and the WHO. "When they said it was counterfeit and refused to

register us we dropped it altogether. We just got samples, but not

for distribution. Why would we distribute to other countries while

we have people who need that tablet?" said Selma. Ginovir is

legally manufactured by GB King-Repa Trading, part of the K&K

group of companies operating in the People's Republic of China,

Singapore and Taiwan. They sell other anti-AIDS drugs under the

brand names Stavir, Laxivir, Lamivir and Indivir. Selma said Selchi

had responded to a request by GB King-Repa's Singapore office for a

Namibian distributor. Selma said she did not know how AIDS drugs

with labels identifying her company as the manufacturer ended up in

Ivory Coast. It is unclear whether Ginovir is still being sold in

West Africa. Shangula said the AIDS medicine had not been brought

into Namibia, but he was awaiting the final report of an

investigation of the whole matter. "What we want is the person

dealing with pharmaceuticals, not the fishing business," said

Shangula. A WHO representative in Windhoek, Dr Desta Tiruneh, said

the UN agency was still waiting to hear from the Health Ministry.

"As the WHO, we have no authority. We just pass information to

Government to investigate" and take steps, he said.

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