The World Health Organisation, Geneva (WHO), has included four additional Anti Retroviral (ARV) products of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd in its pre-qualification list. The products approved by the WHO are: Efavirenz 600mg tablets & 200mg capsules, Stavudine 30mg capsules & 40mg capsules.

With these inclusions, the company now has a total of 12 ARVs on the WHO pre-qualification list. The company also has three approvals from US FDA for ARVs, making it eligible for making supplies to the US funded PEPFAR programme.

Commenting on the new WHO listings, the company's CEO & MD, Malvinder Mohan Singh said, "This is a significant development. We strongly feel that Generic ARVs are essential in fighting the worldwide struggle against HIV/AIDS and are committed to providing high quality, cost effective generics." He further added, "Efavirenz is rapidly becoming a preferred drug in HIV treatment program in developing countries. The other newly listed drug, Stavudine, is also being widely used as a first line of therapy against AIDS. Both products increase customer choice enabling patients to access therapy easily, at affordable prices."

The company's ARVs, including the recently approved WHO pre-qualified products, are manufactured at the company's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, inspected and approved by some of the most stringent agencies in the world. These include the US FDA and the WHO.