A top company executive of British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, said that at the company’s manufacturing facility in Nasik and Cape Town, an attempt will be made to increase the capacity to make a drug for the treatment of elephantiasis.

GSK at its production units in Nasik and Cape Town makes albendazole that is used by about 120 million people across the world.

The company donates about 600 million units per annum of the drug to global health organisations. There are plans to increase the capacity to one billion units every year.

Andrew Witty , CEO at GSK said, “Shipments of the new donations are expected to start in late 2011.”

Every year the cost of making these drugs will be about £12 million or 85 crore.

In March this year the company’s plant in Nasik that makes 300 million units of the medicine every year was inaugurated. GSK’s public listed Indian subsidiary GSK Pharmaceuticals operates this plant.

In eliminating the elephantiasis-causing infection lymphatic filariasis through universal coverage, WHO will be supported by the additional global capacity to make the medicine.