Lanka to produce own thyroxine
Nadira Gunatilleke
Sri Lanka will produce its entire requirement of Thyroxine tablets
from next month. The State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC)
will produce the first consignment of Thyroxine tablets which will be
distributed among all State hospitals and to the market, a Healthcare
and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.
According to the spokesman, the total annual Thyroxine requirement of
Sri Lanka is 24 million tablets.
|
Saving money |
| * Sri Lanka
spends Rs. 10 m to import thyroxine
* Lanka has to spend Rs. 5 m to
produce Thyroxine |
The country imports this drug. During the recent past, there were
unavoidable delays in the import process which caused a Thyroxine tablet
shortage. Considering this fact Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal
Siripala de Silva has taken a decision to manufacture this drug in Sri
Lanka.
Persons with Thyroxine deficiency need to take Thyroxine tablets on a
daily basis.
Imported Thyroxine tablets are available in both State hospitals and
private sector medical institutions.
The SPMC exports certain varieties of drugs to a few countries. Papua
New Guinea and Fiji import drugs from Sri Lanka with the assistance of
the Japan International Corporation Agency. It is expected to increase
the variety of drugs manufactured in Sri Lanka up to 250. At the moment,
the Corporation manufactures 59 varieties. Sri Lanka spends Rs. 10
million every month to import Thyroxine from UK and Argentina. It will
cost SPMC Rs. 5 million to produce the country’s Thyroxine requirements. |
