Pharma factory eyes foreign markets

Laos should capitalise on its potential to produce medicines for export, according to Minister of Public Health Dr Ponmek Dalaloy.

He was speaking in Vientiane on Wednesday at a ceremony recognising outstanding staff from Pharmaceutical Factory No 3.

He said international organisations had expressed interest in buying Lao malaria medication for supply to needy countries.

So far, a concrete purchasing agreement has not yet been made with any organisation.

“ Laos has plenty of plants which we can use as raw materials for the production of medicines,” he said.

Dr Ponmek told factory staff to produce quality medicine and market it effectively. He joked that demand was so high that if staff were committed enough they could work day and night, having no time to rest.

He urged the factory to focus on producing medicines made from raw materials that were found in abundance in Laos , but were rare in other countries.

Pharmaceutical Factory No 3 Managing Director, Mr Lahounh Chanthabout, said the state-owned enterprise had been profitable since 2005 and now produced more than 100 types of medicines, supplying 20 percent of the local market.

The factory produced only a few products when it first went into operation in 1983, he said.

“Our achievement demonstrates that we are playing an important role in the development of the Lao public health sector,” he said.

Pharmaceutical Factory No 3 was established with financial assistance from the Japanese government, which aimed to help Laos to improve its medicine production. In 1986, the government stopped subsidising the enterprise and left it to become self sufficient.

The enterprise struggled with low profits but recovered from the financial crisis in 2005.

Mr Lahounh said the factory produced a level of quality close to international standards and had sold medicines to Vietnam and Russia worth about US$400,000.

He said the factory was committed to producing medicines for export, and this would benefit local people who grew and collected traditional medicinal plants for the factory.

The factory has established good relations with business partners in Vietnam , China , Japan , Myanmar and Russia .

By Vientiane Times
(Latest Update May 02, 2008)