ReliefWeb

5 July 2005 Kabul Afghanistan:Two cargo planes loaded with pharmaceutical machinery will arrive in Kabul at 10:00 and 12:00 AM. The medicine equipment will be installed in a new Afghan-owned and operated pharmaceutical factory named "Baz International Pharmaceutical Company Ltd". Currently under construction, Baz Pharmaceuticals is expected to begin operations in the fourth quarter of the year.

The "Afghan Generic Medicines Project" is a joint effort that brings together private and public partners interested in contributing to a healthier Afghanistan. The plant's equipment and materials, as well as pharmaceutical expertise and training are being donated by the Brussels based European Generic Medicines Association (EGA), the official body representing roughly 500 pharmaceutical companies from the generic medicines industry in Europe.

Presently, Afghanistan does not produce any pharmaceutically standardized medicines. While pharmacies are abundant throughout the country, very little standardization exists to monitor the quality of medicines being distributed to ailing patients, which gives rise to a significant concern over public health.

About 300 million to 400 million tablets of urgently needed medicines such as antibiotics and analgesics will be produced each year.

Emma Sutcliffe
Communications Associate
United Nations Development Programme
Kabul, Afghanistan
+93(0) 70 152874
emma.sutcliffe@undp.org
www.undp.org.af