New weapons in the arsenal for Thailand's fight against AIDS. In August, the World Health Organization awarded the country a license to produce its own anti-retro-viral drugs, to treat HIV. It was one of the first to be awarded outside the US or Europe and is expected to reduce treatment costs significantly. CGTN's Tony Cheng visited the facility where the new drugs are being produced, to check in on the progress.

At a nondescript building on the edge of Bangkok. But inside, a development that will change the lives of hundreds of thousands.

This is the main research and production facility for Thailand Government Pharmaceutical organization.

Thai researchers have been working for years on a cocktail of antiretrovirals, or ARVs, pills used to treat and slow the symptoms of HIV. Previously they'd use a mixture of costly drugs imported from the US and Europe. But recent certification from the World Health Organization means Thailand's own generics can now be mass produced and that has one very clear benefit.

DR. MUKDAVAN PRAKOBVAITAYAKAKIT DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, GPO "The cost is up to 8-20 times cheaper than imported products, for the products that we produce, that's why our Thai universal coverage can give all medicine to the patients in Thailand."

Currently about 70% of Thailand's 440,000 HIV positive community have access to ARVs, but the process is complicated and the cost to the government, dear.

The domestic ARVs will be freely available to private clinics and hospitals alike making access and distribution far wider.

And Thailand already has licenses pending to sell to Hong Kong, Myanmar and the Philippines, bringing cheap treatment to some of the largest and fastest grown HIV communities in Asia.

The facility has been rigorously tested to International standards and uses some of the latest technology, but full production is still a way off.

TONY CHENG BANGKOK "Currently this facility is producing two billion pills per year, but to put that into context, at the moment they're meeting less than 10% of Thailand's annual needs."

But the greatest danger in the fight against HIV in Thailand, remains human behaviour, not access to treatment. This clinic near the red light district of Patpong specializes in ARV treatments for private patients. They recognize these new ARVs will make things much easier, but they've also seen a new generation taking more risks because they're taking treatment for granted.

CHARNWIT PAKAM SENIOR COUNSELLOR, PULSE CLINIC "Medication is very cheap and they can get free medication. They don't care about the treatment because they know that with HIV you can stay as long as you can and take medication, they know that and that's it."

The battle against complacency will go on. But Thailand, once in the grip of a terrible HIV epidemic, now has the weapons to fight back. Tony Cheng, CGTN, Bangkok.