Touring Phillips Pharmaceuticals' warehouses in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, gives one the impression the company is purely in the business of importing and distributing medical supplies and drugs. Boxes of imported items including branded Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs are stored meticulously; assembly lines of people busily double check them; delivery trucks come in and out to pick up products todeliver to customers throughout the country.

But beyond these walls lies more than a straightforward distributor on behalf of large European and American pharmaceutical companies. A closer look reveals a private corporation with an unusual commitment and enthusiasm towards making HIV care, treatment and prevention more accessible to patients across Kenya.

Although Phillips Pharmaceuticals makes no profit on the distribution of ARVs, it has contributed to the implementation of the "Accelerating Access Initiative ", an agreement signed in May 2000 by UNAIDS, WHO, the UN Population Fund and five multinational pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of triple therapy treatment in developing countries from approximately $800 per month to between $40 and $60.

Phillips claims the commitment and determination of the private sector, particularly faith-based organizations such as MEDS and private corporations like itself who go out of their way to make sure drugs are delivered on time and with as few glitches as possible, are currently driving the efficient and timely management of the country's ARV distribution network. According to the corporation's managing director, Mr.Mukesh Mehta, international donor HIV programs as well as government HIV initiatives depend on this private distribution network in place.

"International donors are now coming to us to help them set up ARV distribution networks in other African countries based on our experience in Kenya," says the CEO.

As a result of the smooth running of this ARV distribution system made up of a partnership between private, public and mission sectors in Kenya, patients in more than 100 HIV treatment centers in both urban and rural areas across the country now have access to HIV treatment and care.

"When Phillips began its not-for-profit ARV project, only 300 patients benefited from the drugs due to lack of financial resources," he says. "Today, Access Initiative ARV prices, our low handling fee, the efficient private distribution network in place and financial support from international donors including the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief of the U.S. government (PEPFAR) are enabling up to 20,000 HIV positive patients to benefit from treatment," he adds.

Mr. Mehta is constantly watching out for news impacting the lives of HIV-infected people. Most recently the drug importer has shown a commitment to keeping the cost of ARVs at an affordable level through its active campaigning against the announcement at the end of January 2005 by the East African Community's Customs Union of a 10 percent import duty on medicines imported into Kenya, including life-saving ARVs and drugs for opportunistic infections related to HIV. The company has been lobbying with other stakeholders involved in the fight against AIDS within the country as well as in the other East African countries to stop this tax which he believes would be a major setback for patients'access to ARVs in the country.

"It is ultimately the patient who will suffer from this tax since the HIV programs of government and international donors will have to compensate for higher drug prices by including fewer patients," says Mr. Mehta.

To demonstrate Phillips' commitment to training, Mr. Mehta has built a team within his company to visit doctors in treatment centers throughout the country and provide them with updated information on ARV management and care. Phillips has also signed an agreement with Medical Education Resource for Africa (MERA) to distribute medical journals to healthcare providers within the country. "How is a doctor in a rural area who does not have Internet access and cannot obtain the latest information on developments in international ARV guidelines supposed to keep up with new developments?" he asks. "This is why we have taken it upon ourselves to step in and help fill the information and training gap," he continues.

Courses within the 2 to 3 days training workshops include such topics as how to diagnose and treat HIV-related opportunistic infections, when to start ARV therapy in resource poor settings, and interactive case studies where medical professionals can go beyond theory and use real patient scenarios to put their knowledge into practice.

The company has also committed itself to helping corporations implement HIV workplace programs for their employees through providing Human Resources management case studies and materials with convincing economic arguments about the benefit of treatment to present to the company's management. In parallel, it runs HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness programs within companies in collaboration with Human Resources divisions to break the stigma around AIDS and to encourage employees to take advantage of treatment programs offered by the company.

What is the motivation behind a company's efforts in the HIV arena? Mr. Mehta insists the company's HIV initiative has not been taken on as a public relations strategy to boost the company's corporate image but rather a program based on good will that is focused on the most important part of the distribution chain- THE PATIENT.

Mr. Mehta.

Five years ago, antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in Kenya was beyond most people's means and only a small portion of medical professionals knew how to administer and manage HIV patients. Today, while there is still a significant gap in affordable access to ARV drugs and in trained healthcare professionals in HIV care, a significant amount of progress has been made in these areas due to initiatives taken on in the private sector like those of Phillips Pharmaceuticals Ltd. The distributor, no pun intended, has dared to think outside of the box.