Sri Lanka to commence manufacturing Chinese Sinovac Covid 19 vaccine from next month
Sri Lanka’s government has made the necessary arrangements to commence the manufacturing of the Chinese anti-Covid 19 vaccine, Sinovac in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle has reportedly stated that Sri Lanka will start making 13 million doses of Sinovac vaccine from next month.
“I think at this time of the pandemic the local manufacture of Sinovax vaccines, expected to commence in July, with an initial 13 million vaccines will be a great help,” he has reportedly said at the three-day virtually-held and multi-stakeholder-organised Sri Lanka Investment Forum (SLIF).
He has further noted that the first batch of the vaccines will be ready by September.
According to the Treasury Secretary, Sri Lanka was spending US$ 400 to 500 million per annum on medicines.
“In the past 12-18 months around 40 medicines have commenced local manufacturing,” Attygalle has said, adding that domestic manufacturing has also helped expenditure management of the government of Sri Lanka.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s health authorities are working to upgrade and develop the country’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. The government of Sri Lanka has also declared pharma zones in the country dedicated to expand facilities to manufacture pharmaceuticals in the country. It is in this backdrop that the Chinese anti-Covid 19 vaccine, Sinovac, which has received WHO approval has expressed intetest in manufacturing the vaccines in the country. It is also indicative of the ability to manufacture large scale high quality medication in Sri Lanka. Foreign pharmaceutical companies could therefore explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s health sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/09062021/Z_3 |