Kathmandu, September 17:

Deurali Janta Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd (DJPL) — a leading pharmaceutical co-mpany — has started marketing medicines for chronic diseases through its new division, Suswasthya.

Dr Laxman Poudel, ex-president of Nepal Medical Association (NMA) formally inaugurated the new division at a programme here yesterday. He hailed the DJPL’s efforts to introduce international technology and make Nepal self-reliant in medicines for chronic diseases. The company recently created a division aiming at producing a complete range of medicines for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, neuro-psychotropics and various chronic systemic illnesses. “The Suswasthya at DJPL is a systematic care division, which produces and distributes a complete range of medicines for chronic disease,” said Hari Bhakta Sharma, chief executive director of DJPL.

According to him, DJPL launched the new division after two years of vigorous research and development for producing medicines to cure chronic diseases in Nepal. “We expect that our products will help substitute the imports of medicines of this category,” he said. Stating that the medicines produced by DJPL can compete with any international brands, Sharma urged for support from all to make Nepal self-reliant in producing pharmaceutical products. The company currently produces 25 different medicines (eight brands) under the Suswasthya division. Established in 1989, DJPL started commercial production of various allopathic medicines from 1992. The company has so far Rs 171 million in fixed assets and Rs 140.5 million in issued capital. DJPL has a technical collaboration with Renata Ltd of Bangladesh since 1996 and has been manufacturing 80 different types of medicines under WHO Good Manufacturing Practice (WHO-GMP) guidelines.

ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified DJPL has manufacturing plants with a capacity of one million litre liquid medicine, 100 million tablets, 72 million capsules and 0.3 million kg of dry powder per shift. Nepal consumes about Rs 6.5 billion worth of medicine each year, but domestic production accounts for only 30 per cent of the total needs. Hence, the country imports drugs worth Rs 5 billion, mostly from India. On the occasion, Dr Upendra Devkota, president of Nepalese Society of Neuro-sciences, Dr Som Nath Aryal, president of Nepal Medical Council, Dr Sudha Sharma, president of NMA, Dr Mahesh Khakurel and Dr Arun Sayami also expressed their views.