The Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) will stage its 58th Annual General Meeting on August 7 at the Taj Samudra Hotel at 6 p.m.
There will also be a panel discussion which will be led by the chief guest WHO Representative to Sri Lanka, Dr. Razia Pendse, National Medicines Regulatory Authority Chairman Prof. Asita de Silva and Verite Research’s Research Director Subhashini Abeysinghe.
Over the past year the SLCPI, with Shyam Sathasivam at the helm, has played a lead role in the advocacy of equitable access to quality medicines for all patients. These efforts have included pursuing a sustainable pricing mechanism; lobbying for the removal of taxes on certain items which are still being passed through to consumers; working with the pharmaceutical retailer associations to address their grievances and thereby safeguarding product availability; and partnering independent research bodies to ensure the availability of quality healthcare data analysis to the public.
The SLCPI currently serves as the representative of over 60 members who account for more than 80% of the private pharmaceutical industry, spanning manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers. These stakeholders supply Sri Lankan patients with 800 molecules from 364 manufacturers from across the world.