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SRI LANKA TO BUY QUALITY PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS FROM THAILAND AT COMPETETIVE PRICES

By Walter Jayawardhana

The Thai News Agency said Sri Lanka government has agreed to buy Thailand produced vaccines on a government to government basis since Sri Lanka has decided the quality of the products are high while the prices were down.

“Senior Sri Lankan government medical officials have agreed to buy Thai-produced vaccines from the Ministry of Public Health's Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO)”, Minister of Public Health Mongkol Na Songkhla was quoted having said.

As a start Sri Lanka will buy 500,000 doses of encephalitis vaccine annually from Thailand, it was announced.

Snake antivenom, rabies vaccine and the anti-viral drug Oseltamivir to combat bird flu,are some other pharmaceutical products Sri Lanka will be interested to buy in the future from Thailand.
Dr. Mongkol met visiting Sri Lankan Additional Secretary for Medical Services of the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition Dr. Nihal Jayatilaka who led a team of medical experts including Sri Lankan State Pharmaceuticals Corporation managing director Prof. K. U. Kamalgoda to negotiate buying medicines and equipment from Thailand.

Dr. Mogkol said that Sri Lanka agreed to buy 500,000 doses of encephalitis vaccine annually from the GPO for four years.

"The overall purchase will be 2 million doses during the next four years, to terminate in 2010, and Thailand could generate an income of around US$2 million yearly," said the Thai minister.
The deal would be concluded under a government to government basis to reduce the prices by eliminating middlemen, Dr. Mongkol said.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition is expected to visit Thailand soon to sign the agreement.

Dr. Mongkol said Sri Lanka is interested in buying vaccines and other pharmaceutical products from the GPO, because the Thai products met required standards while prices were cheaper than in other countries.

The Sri Lankan team is also interested in other GPO products including snake antivenom, rabies vaccine and the anti-viral drug Oseltamivir to combat bird flu, therefore the GPO had given list of its pharmaceutical products to Sri Lanka for their further consideration, he said.

Thailand is willing to sell medicine and equipment to Sri Lanka as the two countries are enjoying close relations as Buddhist countries, the Thai government statement said. .
Dr. Mongkol also affirmed that the agreement would not affect the production for domestic use as the GPO has the capability to increase its production.

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