ABC Pharma gets ISO 9001:2008 quality standard certification

ABC one of the first few companies to receive the ISO standard in the pharmaceutical industry. "Quality of products and standards of service are the decisive and game changing factors in the highly competitive pharmaceutical market in Sri Lanka," says Kanchana Ratwatte, Chairman of Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI).

"Pharmaceutical companies need to adhere to professional and regulatory standards and that will, in return, translate into an increase in revenues. The criticality of the pharmaceutical industry is extremely high and it is important for pharmaceutical companies to focus more on meeting and maintaining standards," Ratwatte further said.

He made these remarks at an event held at Renuka Hotel in Colombo, where the ISO 9001:2008 quality standard certification was ceremoniously presented to ABC Pharma Services (PVT) Ltd, one of the first few pharmaceutical companies to attain this standard. The event was graced by senior officials of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute, representatives of ABC Pharma partner companies representatives of leading hospitals and retail outlets and members of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI).

He commended this initiative by ABC Pharma, a fully Sri Lankan company in the pharmaceutical industry, who had achieved the criteria that comply with ISO 9001:2008 standards. "I, as the Chairman of the SLSI, appreciate ABC's efforts and firmly believe that they will adhere to the ISO standards in all their endeavours in the future. SLSI will work hand in hand with ABC Pharma to ensure that they meet the standards constantly and consistently," the Chairman stated.

ABC Pharma Services (Pvt) Ltd., a leading importer and distributor of a wide range of pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotechnology products, received the ISO 9001/2008 certificate from Sri Lanka Standards Institute, becoming the second Sri Lankan pharmaceutical company in Sri Lanka to win this prestegious quality certificate.

Adrian Basnayake, Managing Director of ABC Pharma, said the ISO quality certificate is an important landmark in the company's evolution and a testimony to the high standards of service which they adhere.

"The ISO 9001:2008 certificate was presented to us after a comprehensive study on the various aspects of our business. Firstly, the SLSI ascertained whether we meet the set and regulatory standards as a pharmaceutical company. Then they monitored our standard operational procedures in the company's processors. In any company, there are specialized people who handle specialized operational areas. However; the objective of this standardization is to reduce the reliance on the individual and place greater emphasis on the system. The over reliance on any one specialized person, can result in the operational variability should that individual be absent or leaves, resulting in the company's inability to maintain consistent quality of service. When presenting the ISO certificate, the SLSI closely examined whether we can maintain the same standards, even in the absence of specialized individuals. " Basnayake explained.

"Pharmaceutical companies, if they are to adopt best standards, need to walk the extra mile to validate and monitor the temperature of cold rooms where drugs are stored. In our case, in addition to continuous recording, we take six temperature readings a day in six places inside our cold rooms. "

When it comes to certain drugs, we use a special gel coolant and validated thermocool boxes to transports them until they reach the end user. We are responsible for the quality and storage standards," says the Managing Director of ABC.