Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry pledges to continue advocating quality and affordable choice of medicines

• New Board appointed at 63rd Annual General Meeting; commits to empowering health equity

From left: AGM Chief Guest Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, SLCPI President-elect Emerchemie NB (Ceylon) Deputy Chairman/Group CEO M. Prathaban, and Guest of Honour Advocata Institute Chairperson Murtaza Jafferjee  

The Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) held the 63rd Annual General Meeting recently, with the participation of its membership including leading pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers of the country. 

Charting its course towards consistent availability of quality medicine to the Sri Lankan public and sustaining an effective pharmaceutical industry, the AGM saw the convening of over 230 members of the SLCPI. Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha graced the event as chief guest with Advocata Institute Chairperson Murtaza Jafferjee attending as the guest of honour. 

Speaking to the collective members as President-elect, Prathaban outlined the challenges that the pharmaceutical industry experiences during the present economic recovery period, highlighting the numerous actions taken by the SLCPI as a collective body to engage and advocate for the progress of the pharmaceutical industry in Sri Lanka. 

“The SLCPI has successfully sustained the pharmaceutical industry of the country during challenging times in the recent past, and we are committed to taking forward our efforts for the betterment of the industry. Quality, affordability, and availability have been the cornerstones of the Chamber’s mission, where we continue to engage with all stakeholders to ensure that the people of Sri Lanka have a choice in accessing essential medicines. Sri Lankans should not be deprived of an innovative and high-quality choice of medicines,” he emphasised. 

“Our innovations and advancements have the power to save lives, alleviate suffering, and enhance the quality of life for millions of people. As a Chamber, it is our responsibility to put all our efforts, based on the guidelines of fairness, transparency, and sustainability, to advance our offering to the country,” he added.

The SLCPI has actively engaged in advocating for a fair and transparent pricing mechanism with the end objective of making quality medicine available to the public. The repeated dialogues with the regulatory to make quality testing available for import medicines will continue under the new committee to ensure high standard medicines are brought into the market while maintaining availability and affordability. 

Over the past years, the SLCPI has worked closely with various stakeholders and policymaking institutions in communicating the industry’s ground situation to facilitate sustainable policy and decision-making. 

The new Board for 2024/25 was appointed unanimously with Emerchemie NB (Ceylon) Ltd. Deputy Chairman/Group CEO M. Prathaban taking the helm as President for the second consecutive year. He will be ably supported by Immediate Past President George Steuart Health Ltd. Executive Director Sanjiva Wijesekera, Senior Vice President Sunshine Healthcare Lanka Ltd. Executive Director/CEO Shantha Bandara, Vice President Hemas Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Managing Director Jude Fernando, Hon. Secretary Astron Ltd. Director/CEO Sirimal Fernando, and Hon. Treasurer Darley Butler & Co. Ltd. CEO Rasika Hirimuthugoda. 

Council Members elected at the AGM include Indoscan Ltd., Emar Pharma Ltd., A. Baur & Co. Ltd., and Muller & Phipps Healthcare Ltd.

Astron Ltd. and Emergen Life Sciences Ltd. were appointed as Manufacturers, while PharmaCo Ltd. was appointed Authorised Distributor (Non-Importer). Kalbe International Pte. Ltd. will officiate as the Non-Trading/Liaison Office/Branch Office and Healthguard Pharmacy Ltd. will operate as Retailer.