Lanka and India collaborate to boost local pharmaceutical manufacturing Industry

Sri Lanka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association celebrates six decades of excellence in the western pharmaceutical industry

As part of the Sri Lanka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association’s 60th anniversary, Lankan drug manufacturers are set to forge a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with their Indian counterparts to enhance the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry by leveraging investments and technology transfer.

A press release issued by the Sri Lanka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (SLPMA) said: In 1956, Sri Lanka took a momentous leap into the Western pharmaceutical industry when Pfizer –Dumex Ltd, entered the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. This pivotal step marked the beginning of Sri Lanka’s journey towards its foot print in the pharmaceutical field.

The SLPMA was inaugurated in October 1963, under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, by pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, GlaxoAllenburys (Ceylon) Ltd, Reckitt & Coleman (Ceylon) Ltd., M.S.J. Industries (Ceylon) Ltd, Pfizer –Dumex Ltd and Warner-Hudnut (Lanka) Ltd. Since then Reckitt & Coleman (Ceylon) Ltd., ceased the manufacture of pharmaceuticals in Sri Lanka and the foreign shareholders of M.S.J. Industries (Ceylon) Ltd, successors to Pfizer –Dumex Ltd and Warner-Hudnut (Lanka) Ltd., divested their interests to Sri Lankan Companies, now known as Morison Limited, Astron Ltd. & Gamma Interpharm (Pvt) Ltd, respectively. The SLPMA has over six decades emerged as a force for national pharmaceutical safety.

Comprising of 23 members, including local private pharmaceutical manufacturers manufacturing in different dosage forms – ie. tablets, capsules, liquids, suspensions, creams and ointments, injectables, inhalers (dry powder and metered dose), breath induced inhaler devices, nasal spray, oxygen, saline and surgical instruments in various therapeutic categories, the SLPMA is proud to be composed entirely of 100% Sri Lankan owned companies. They manufacture more than 150 molecules of medicines, consisting of more than 50 therapeutic categories and exceeding 10 dosage forms. Local manufacturers of pharmaceuticals command 15% of the market share and approximately 25% of the essential medicines used in the government hospitals and clinics are supplied by such manufacturers.

The SLPMA has a network of more than 3,000 pharmacies across the country extending its reach to provide locally manufactured western medicines to patients.

Private sector local manufacturers of pharmaceuticals entered in to agreements with the Ministry of Health in the year 2015 under a Public Private Partnership scheme which ware renewed in the year 2019. These agreements enabled such manufacturers to invest in new factories and upgrade their existing factories expanding local pharmaceutical production. This has allowed SLPMA to make available and deliver high-quality medicines on time at affordable prices and improve accessibility to patients.

The agreements with the Ministry of Health are also assisting members of the SLPMA to develop the export of medicines to Asian countries, which will contribute to the earning of valuable foreign exchange.