"Zdravlje Actavis" invested 16m EUR only in standardization - possibility of export of 75% of production

- Pharmaceutical industry "Zdravlje Actavis" produced about 30m packs of drugs this year and, after certain standards were introduced, the conditions have been created for export of up to 75% of production - said General Manager of that Leskovac-based factory, Goran Stojiljković.

- Production in our factory at the beginning of privatization in 2003 amounted to 17.5m packs of drugs. This year it reached nearly 30m packs of drugs. Production potential has been increased from 650m pills to 2.5 billion units a year and we got opportunity to export up to 75% of production - said he at the press conference.

According to his words, total of 31m EUR has been invested in the priority development programs in pharmaceutical industry “Zdravlje Actavis” in the past five years, which is 50% more than it is stipulated by the contract on privatization.

He reminded that the Leskovac factory, after auction sale in 2003, had become part of pharmaceutical company “Actavis” from Iceland.

- Complete reorganization and modernization of production have been carried out and stable foundations for further development of the company have been created. Also, the problem of hazardous waste has been solved. Thanks to that, we have become a pharmaceutical company that is in accordance with European standards and defined procedures in that field of production - said Stojiljković.

He said that so-called SAP standard had been introduced into production, as well as ISO standard and good manufacturing practice (GMP) standard, in accordance with the requests of European Union. He added that 16m EUR had been set aside only for that purpose.

- With the introduction of the highest standards of "good manufacturing practice", GMP, the possibility has been created for export of our products to all markets where "Actavis Group" is present, that is, more than 60 markets in Europe, Asia and Africa - Stojiljković explained.

General Manager of Leskovac-based pharmaceutical company "Zdravlje Actavis" said that Privatization Agency had characterized that privatization as "one of the most successful privatizations of the companies in Serbia".