Botswana has commenced local manufacturing of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines at Portfolio Pharmaceuticals following the completion of technology transfer, marking a development in the country’s pharmaceutical manufacturing ambitions.
Assistant Minister of Health Lawrence Ookeditse said the development would strengthen medicine security, reduce reliance on international supply chains and improve the availability of essential medicines.
Ookeditse said the initiative follows engagements earlier this year with local factories on opportunities to move beyond packaging into backward integration and actual manufacturing.
He emphasised that businesses operating in Botswana should reinvest in the local economy through manufacturing, rather than limiting their participation to tender-based supply arrangements.
He added that local pharmaceutical production would create employment, retain greater economic value within the country and potentially position Botswana to supply regional markets.
Ookeditse further highlighted the strategic importance of pharmaceutical sovereignty, noting that Botswana’s longstanding contribution to HIV/AIDS research, treatment and management should be complemented by domestic capacity to manufacture life-saving medicines.
