South Africa sets up state-owned pharmaceutical firm: Zuma

Reuters
A worker at Kalbe Farma's factory holds up a handful of tablets in Cikarang, on the outskirt of Jakarta May 8, 2013. REUTERS/Enny Nuraheni

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa has set up a state-owned pharmaceutical company that would compete with local firms in supplying medicines to public hospitals, President Jacob Zuma said in his state of the nation address on Thursday. Health authorities in one of the world's biggest market for antiretroviral drugs have long complained they were paying too much to secure supplies for life-prolonging HIV/AIDS drugs to state-run hospitals. (Writing by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by James Macharia)