South Africa: with Aspen, India’s Laurus Labs gains access to the public antiretroviral sector

Aspen is seeking to lower the cost of treatments to maintain its position on the large public market for antiretroviral medicines. And the South African group, the continent’s largest pharmaceutical firm, hopes to achieve this by means of the deal that was unveiled on 19 September with Laurus Labs. The latter is an Indian group set up in 2005 which specialises in generic medicines. By way of cash consideration of just 70,000 rands ($4,550), Laurus Labs will acquire 100% of the shares of Phekolong, an Aspen distribution subsidiary. The key aspect of the deal is that Laurus Labs will supply Aspen with active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) that are used in antiretroviral drugs (ARV) for patients infected with the HIV virus.