GSK invests Rs 217m on tablet manufacturing facility

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical manufacturing company opened its pharmaceutical tablets manufacturing facility at Ratmalana last week. The factory was opened by Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa.

GSK has invested Rs.217 m for the project and is said to be the single largest investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing in Sri Lanka. GSK Lanka Managing Director, T.S.Dayananda said that over the last five years, GSK has invested over Rs.500 m in Sri Lanka.

The support we expect from the Government is to maintain consistent policies and smooth approval processes for investment projects. This project was approved just after the end of terrorism in 2009 and last year we launched construction.

“The support we obtained from the Health Ministry was commendable and we completed the project in one year”, he said.

In the keynote address, Minister of Health Maitripala Sirisena said that the Government supports and encourages pharmaceutical manufacturing locally and was ready to purchase pharmaceuticals for the Health Ministry even to the extent of going out of the tender procedure.

Last month, the Government decided to purchase pharmaceuticals from local manufacturers to encourage them and avoid a shortage of essential drugs.

This process is also convenient for the Ministry as the manufacturers can directly supply drugs to stores in the outside regions.

Government will also purchase surgical gloves from local manufacturers from next month.

The Government imports western pharmaceuticals worth over Rs.20 b and total imports exceeds Rs.25 b. The Health Ministry needs over 50 million paracetamol tablets per month. If we take the account of the sale of paracetamol by the private sector, this figure is surprisingly high and beyond belief.

The Ministry has taken steps to better manage distribution and stocks in Government hospitals. The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation manufacturers around 40 percent of the paracetamol requirement locally and the balance is imported. Local manufacture of pharmaceuticals is essential to avoid quality issues regarding drugs and maintaining the quality of the free health service in the country. In the 2012 Budget, the Government has offered many incentives for investors in this sector, Minister Sirisena said.

GSK started Panadol syrup manufacture locally in 2009. The company is present in Sri Lanka for the last 60 years. The GSK pharmaceutical manufacturing facility was first launched in 1958 and later it started Horlics, Viva packing and Panadol tablets packing. (GW)