Big pharmaceutical companies have manufacturing plants for anti-HIV drugs that span a city block. At the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) in downtown Bangkok, this generic drug maker cranks out GPOVIR--a pill that contains AZT, 3TC, and nevirapine--in a tiny two-story factory that occupies a mere 500 square meters. The workers wear protective clothing and a special breathing apparatus that prevents them from absorbing or inhaling dust from the drugs. The space-suited workers here visually inspect each pill they produce, tossing out any irregular product. In the room next door, a dozen similarly clad workers sit around a table and manually sort pills into bottles. |
