Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), a Merck & Co subsidiary, has announced the opening of its office in Lagos and has also launched one of its HIV-treating antiretroviral drugs in Nigeria
The office in will be run by 19 employees and underscores MSD’s plans to expand its footprint and address health challenges in Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries such as Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Equatorial Guinea.
"At MSD, our commitment is to get the right medicines to the right people in the right place, and we will achieve this by focusing on bringing medications and vaccines to Nigeria to address unmet medical needs,” said Kingsley Okeke, commercial director, MSD West Africa.
“We have an excellent relationship with the Nigerian government and we have set ourselves the ambitious goal to be the number onehealth care partner in Nigeria in scaling up access to healthcare services and medicines."
MSD announced the launch of its antiretroviral (ARV) medicine ATRIPLA® in Nigeria recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1.
“Each of the components in ATRIPLA has been shown to be effective and has a well-established tolerability profile in HIV patients,” said Dr. Ernest Ekong, director of the Department of Clinical Services at the Institute for Human Virology of Nigeria (IHVN).
“This one-pill-a-day treatment for HIV is already globally available and represents a simplification of dosing, which is important as patients remain on therapy longer.”
