The Ugandan pharmaceutical company Quality Chemicals later this year will begin producing antiretroviral drugs aimed at preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in the country, George Baguma, the company's director of marketing, announced on Tuesday, the Monitor/AllAfrica.com reports. The company expects to start producing the drugs by November, according to the Monitor/AllAfrica.com. More than 25,000 children annually in Uganda contract HIV from their mothers during labor or through breastfeeding. "These drugs will allow [HIV-positive] mothers to safely breastfeed without any worry about infecting their children," Baguma said.

Of the estimated 50,000 children in Uganda who need antiretrovirals, only about 12,000 have access to the drugs, the Monitor/AllAfrica.com reports. According to Baguma, Quality Chemicals imports the latest ingredients used in the production of low-cost antiretrovirals to ensure widespread access and to prevent drug resistance (Lugya, Monitor/AllAfrica.com, 8/14).