Kathmandu, January 22

The seventh Nepal Pharma and Health Expo 2019 is going to be held in Chitwan this year with the theme ‘Social campaign for brain death organ donation’.

The expo will be held for three days starting from March 1 to 3 at Chitwan Expo Centre.

Organising a press meet, Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal informed that during the expo different machines, labs and technology used to manufacture drugs would be displayed and also be sold.

According to the President of Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal Deepak Prasad Dahal, more than 200 stalls will be set up during the expo.

“Through the sponsors, and sale of tickets, we will earn some profit, which will be used for the campaign to encourage brain death organ donation,” he said.

There are 53 drug manufacturing companies in the country while 30 companies are in the process of registration, according to records at the Department of Drug Administration.

“At present 45 per cent of the total demand for drugs is fulfilled by Nepali pharmaceutical companies. This can be increased to 80 per cent. The expo will be very effective to make people aware of quality assurance and drug manufacturing in the country,” Dahal added.

Department of Drug Administration will be the co-host of the expo. “To encourage our own products, we have only allowed import of drugs that cannot be manufactured in the country,” said Man Bahadur Chhetri, representative of DDA.

APPON has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Shahid Dharmabhakta National Transplant Centre to launch a campaign for brain death organ donation.