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| Sunday, 21 March 2004 |
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SPC ventures into N-E by Elmo Leonard The State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) will shortly open outlets in Ampara and Anuradhapura in a bid to bring low priced pharmaceuticals to the North and East. The outlet in Ampara is intended to supply the needs of the entire East, while the branch in Anuradhapura will feed the demand from the North, including the Jaffna peninsula. Simultaneously, an outlet will also be opened in Kandy, to cater to the needs of people up-country, including Nuwara Eliya and Badulla, SPC Managing Director, Professor K.U. Kamalgoda said. The SPC will also sign an agreement with Sathosa to sell its pharmaceuticals through Sathosa outlets, first retailing the products in Rajagiriya, Jawatte and Welisara. SPC imports about 600 varieties of drugs obtained from tenders floated worldwide. These generic brands are about the lowest cost in the market, while most drugs are often out of reach of the poor. These drugs were available in the North and East before the ceasefire over two years ago, but in limited quantities. In 1999, SPC sales in the North-East amounted to Rs. 32 million and reached Rs. 62 million in 2003, with projected sales of Rs. 75 million for this year, Prof Kamalgoda said. In 2002, SPC imported drugs worth Rs. 4.4 billion for the health sector, including the hospitals, while in 2003 it imported four billion rupees worth of drugs. SPC's sales turnover to the private sector outlets amounted to Rs. 2.7 billion in 2002 and Rs. 2.6 billion in 2003. |
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