Pakistan to help boost local pharmaceuticals manufacturing

The Sri Lanka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (SLPMA) recently facilitated a bilateral meeting with visiting representatives of the Pakistani Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA), taking place on the sidelines of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Sri Lanka.

The meeting was presided over by Prof. Channa Jayasumana, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals and accompanied by Rohitha Uduwawala, Secretary to the Ministry and Dr. Lakshitha Rajakaruna, the association said in a media release.

The meeting between pharmaceutical manufacturers of the two countries focused on mutually beneficial proposals for both nations to leverage on opportunities provided by each for the other. State Minister Jayasumana requested the Pakistani pharmaceutical manufacturers to share their experience in developing Pakistan’s local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The State Minister also invited the PPMA to set up joint ventures with local pharmaceutical companies to manufacture complex molecules in Sri Lanka, in order to benefit from the government’s drive to increase local pharmaceutical manufacturing to 50% of country’s requirement by 2025, where Sri Lankan pharmaceutical manufacturers will have to manufacture at least 350+ pharmaceuticals locally.

Responding to the invitation by the State Minister, Kashif Sajjad Sheikh, Head of the Pakistani Pharmaceutical Delegation promised to share the best practices and technical knowhow with the SLPMA. He also invited the State Minister and SLPMA to visit Pakistan to organise a roadshow on the opportunities for pharmaceutical manufacturing in Sri Lanka and enter into MOUs with prospective Pakistan companies, which will be facilitated by PPMA.

The SLPMA emphasized on the importance of the Pakistani pharma story for local policy makers, especially in learning how the Pakistani government moved towards formulating a long term policy and incentivised the private sector towards local manufacturing. Currently producing over 93 drugs providing 15% of the local requirement of pharmaceuticals, the SLPMA pointed out that synergy between the two chambers will result in crucial technical transfers from Pakistan to Sri Lanka allowing the local industry to benefit from the years of research and development by the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association.

The SLPMA is hoping to achieve 50% production of local pharmaceutical requirements by 2025, and a target of US$ 1 billion per year in exports by 2030. SLPMA was represented by Sanjaya Jayaratna (President), Kalana Hewamallika (Vice President), Executive Committee Members Viraj Manatunga and Murtaza Esufally.

The release said that discussing long term opportunities to work together, the Sri Lankan delegation invited Pakistan to relocate its pharma export centres in Sri Lanka, both for its strategic location globally and also because Sri Lanka being one of Pakistan’s largest pharmaceuticals export markets.

To mark the occasion, the Pakistani delegation donated a stock of chronic care pharmaceuticals worth approximately Rs. 18 million to Prof. Jayasumana and Mr. Uduwawala.