We are not solving the problem, [now] other people must do their bit

Glaxo Kenya's commercial director Dr William Kiarie

It is reducing the price of the cocktail of drugs needed by about 80% to $2 a day.

The company admits that this price is still well above what most Kenyans can afford and it will benefit at most 20,000 HIV positive people out of an estimated 2.1 million.

It says that the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) must also do their bit in providing an infrastructure so that Aids treatments can be successfully administered.

Availability

The cheaper drugs will be made available to companies that provide their employees with healthcare, NGOs that run not-for-profit healthcare services and state agencies such as the military.

Kenya will soon debate a bill to introduce cheap generic drugs

The Kenyan parliament is due to discuss a bill that could pave the way for the importing of generic drugs.

But GlaxoSmithKline says its move to lower the price of drugs has nothing to do with this.

Neither is it related to the unsuccessful attempt to challenge a similar law in South Africa.

'Cheapest'

Glaxo Kenya's commercial director Dr William Kiarie said the company's prices in Kenya will be cheaper than any generic drug that is available, so importing drugs will not help.

Dr Kiarie admitted that "we have gone through a learning curve as an industry, we now realise that we're not talking about just another disease".

Kenyan Aids activists are reported to have said that GlaxoSmithKline is trying to grab the moral high ground after the negative publicity pharmaceutical companies have received.

Dr Kiarie said that the industry has responded to the recent pressure.

Deflecting criticism from the industry Dr Kiarie said that it is now up to other agencies to boost their efforts.

He said that reducing the drug prices is "not solving the problem, [now] other people must do their bit".

For example, more healthcare professionals need to be trained in HIV diagnosis and informed about how to prescribe the drugs.

Patients must also be educated in how to take the complicated drugs combinations correctly.