China’s Sansheng opens USD 85m drug plant

Chinese company Sansheng, has opened a pharmaceutical factory in Eastern Industrial Zone. They have invested USD 85 million to produce over 65 types of drugs including capsules and injections. The factory lies on 16.67 sqm and includes space for future expansion. The factory features a production line to prepare solid, ampoules (thin-walled containers made of glass), and Large Volume Parenterals (injections). The annual capacity can reach 5 billion solid preparations, 300 million ampoules and 10 million Large Volume Parenterals.
The factory which was under construction for one year and seven months was inaugurated a week ago in  the presence of Demeke Mekonen, Deputy Prime Minster of Ethiopia. The factory will create jobs for around 300 people. Some are currently training to work on the factory’s eight machines.
Demeke said the factory will save foreign currency and help get medicine to customers quickly.
“All of us know we still import much of our medicine from abroad so we need to invest more to supply medicine locally and Sansheng’s factory helps us meet our goals.”
Pan Xinanwen, Chairman of Sansheng said the factory will rely on its own R&D center to develop more medicine that Ethiopian and African consumers need.
‘’The company is also willing to use its own successful  experience  in Ethiopia to bring more Chinese  companies to Ethiopia  so as to increase its presence in other fields.‘’  The factory meets the oversees development and  the Belt Road Initiative, he said.
Tan Jian, Ambassador of China to Ethiopia said his country will continue to promote health cooperation with Ethiopia.
‘’ The public health sector is an important component of the framework of China- Africa Cooperation. President XI Jinping has made it clear that China would encourage and support more local drug production by Chinese in Africa to increase African’s  access to medicine . The opening of Sansheng is one of the practical outcomes of China- Ethiopia public health cooperation,” he said.