Caption : Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurating the manufacturing facility yesterday while Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Prof. Channa Jayasumana and State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation, Minister Dr. Seetha Arambepola and Hemas Holdings Group CEO Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson look on – Pic by Upul Abayasekara
COLOMBO: Morrison PLC, a subsidiary of Hemas Holdings PLC, the country’s largest solid pharmaceutical manufacturer,on Friday,Oct.2, declared open the state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing plant and research and development premises under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Minister of Health, Prof. Channa Jayasumana, State Minister of Pharmaceuticals, Supplies and Regulation, Dr. Sita Arambepola, Specialist Minister of State for Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation and Dr. Sunil Navaratne, Secretary to the Minister of Trade were also present.
Located at the Sri Lanka Nanotechnology Park, Pitipana, Homagama, this factory is Morrison’s second manufacturing facility.
The factory is currently gearing up to launch the first stock of valid pharmaceuticals and is expected to commence commercial production commercially at the beginning of next year, boosting the current government’s target of producing essential drugs locally.
Dedicated to providing high quality medicines to all Sri Lankans at affordable prices, Morrison will be able to supply 20% of the country’s pill requirements.
The investment of Rs. 18.5 million marks a significant milestone in Sri Lanka and it is also the first solid pharmaceutical manufacturing plant to comply with the European Union’s EU – GMP.
Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that even though the State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation is manufacturing medicines in large scale with a big investment, Sri Lanka must win international markets with high quality products.
He said annually Sri Lanka spends Rs. 130 billion on import of medicines and only 15% is produced locally. “It is in that context that the new Government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is encouraging higher local manufacturing,” he added.Its new plant has an annual production capacity of 5 billion tablets and 10 million bottles of medicine working at peak capacity on double shift and aims to improve employment opportunities with the creation of 250 skilled jobs.
Mortaza Esufali, Managing Director, Morrison, spoke at the opening of the new pharmaceutical plant. He said : “This latest factory marks a turning point in our company, furthering Morrison’s 80-year vision of delivering high quality drugs at affordable prices. As this investment was made on a pre-agreed contract basis, this will enable us to expand our business opportunities and become more competitive in the global market. Through continued government support, we will be able to enhance export opportunities and enter into manufacturing contracts with global pharmaceutical companies, which will enable us to earn foreign exchange, which is essential for the Sri Lankan economy. ”
The new plant has the capacity to produce 5 billion pills annually and 10 million bottles of pharmaceuticals at maximum capacity under the double shift. It is expected to create more than 250 jobs.
The strength of the factory lies not only in its manufacturing capabilities. It also lies in its ability to create more skilled jobs and uplift the Homagama community through exposure of pharmaceutical sciences to the schools in the area and by working with higher educational institutions for internships and joint research.
The new plant is designed for minimum human intervention to prevent human error and includes cutting edge equipment such as the fully automated liquid manufacturing and packing lines, fully-fledged chemical and microbiology labs, separate air handling units to control environment conditions; and is also equipped with Enterprise Resource Planning software. The plant also has the first zero liquid discharge wastewater systems in the country.