Hyderabad based Hetero Drugs has become the fourth Indian company after Ranbaxy, Cipla and Matrix to join hands with Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative for supplying anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) at one-third or one-half their current prices to the developing world. Hetero has agreed to supply both the bulk drug as well as formulations at the reduced rate.

While the agreement with Cipla and Ranbaxy is to source ARV formulations, the agreement with Matrix is for bulk drugs alone, it is learnt. The other company in the list is Johannesburg based Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd., which will also supply finished formulations to Johannesburg, South Africa. Aspen is sourcing its anti-retroviral bulk drugs from Hetero and Matrix.

Speaking to Pharmabiz.com, Hetero sources informed that the company had to take some time to join others as it was in the process of clearing World Health Organisation certification procedures during the last month. " We received the tentative WHO certification in the first week of October. However the approval document reached us only by the end of the month," they explained.

The formal agreement with the Clinton Foundation was announced here on Friday. With the entry of Hetero, Clinton Foundation has succeeded in securing the cooperation of all WHO approved anti-retroviral generic countries in India.

The agreement covers antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) delivered to people in Africa and the Caribbean where the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative is working with governments and organizations to set up country-wide integrated care, treatment and prevention programs. It is hoped that up to two million people will be receiving medicine by the year 2008.