Pharma industry to expand local production

The newly appointed President of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI), Palitha Jayatileka said the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the SLCPI have a common objective in ensuring the delivery of effective, high quality, safe and affordable pharmaceutical products to satisfy the varying needs of patients.

"It is our strong belief that if the MoH, other regulatory bodies and the Chamber work together, we could jointly improve the quality of service we provide to the most important person in the value chain - the patient," he said.

The SLCPI President was speaking at the Chamber's 55th Annual General Meeting, recently.

Jayatileka, a veteran in the pharma sector and the Country Head of Servier International, Sri Lanka, said as much as it is important to ensure the sustainability of the industry, which in turn will benefit patients, it is important that all Industry activities also benefit the patient. The President of the SLCPI said that the Chamber welcomes the Government's vision in encouraging local manufacture.

"Many of our Members have already taken the initiative and are moving towards local manufacturing operations.

We hope that more Members will take the opportunity and move towards local manufacture thus contributing tangibly towards the GDP of our Country, Foreign Exchange savings as well as creating new job opportunities," he said.

On the other side of the coin he said that the pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars in research and development and today many a disease that was deadly in the past two decades are curable or treatable because of this reason; increasing life expectancy and quality of life. "In Sri Lanka the life expectancy is 75years of age. We are happy to have been a part of this achievement by making available Pharmaceutical products to our Nation," Jayatileka said.

The SLCPI President reiterated that the Chamber places the highest importance on compliance to ethical standards, adding that the SLCPI self regulates through the adherence to a set of code of ethics.

He said that as with any industry or profession there is always room for improvement, and the SLCPI will continue in its efforts to ensure that the industry stays within the ethical parameters and guidelines set by the Chamber.