The state-owned drug maker will produce 20,000 sachets per day
KATHMANDU, June 3: Nepal Drugs Ltd (NDL) is planning to double production of Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) from Sunday.
Robhash Kusam Subedi, the general manager of NDL, said that the state-owned drug producer will start producing 20,000 sachets of Jeevan Jal from Sunday. “We want to improve supply of Jeevan Jal to far-western districts where there is a huge demand for ORS,” he said, adding: “We want to make sure that no one dies from water-borne diseases like cholera and dysentery, among others.”
Subedi also said that his staff will work in two shifts from Sunday.
The company, which was closed for around eight years due to its failure to meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO), resumed production last month. It started producing Jeevan Jal from May 22.
Currently, it is producing 10,000 sachets of Jeevan Jal per day.
“We are not focused on profit-making,” Subedi said, adding that his company distributed huge quantity of Jeevan Jal in Dhangadi and Nepalgunj free of cost. This shows that we are focused on serving Nepali citizens in line with our motto 'Quality Medicine at Reasonable Cost', he added.
NDL is selling Jeevan Jal at Rs 9 per sachet. Other companies are charging Rs 10 or more per sachet. “Our decision has put pressure on other drug makers to bring down price of their ORS,” he added.
Subedi further added that preparations were underway to produce 15 most consumed medicines in the country. According to him, equipment to produce other medicines will arrive from India within one and half months. These medicines will be available in the market from mid-September.
The state-owned company plans to produce other medicines like capsules, penicillin and ointments, among others, in the third phase. They will be available in the market within mid-April next year.
NDL has unveiled plan to produce all 70 medicines that the government has announced to distribute free of cost to all its citizens. It plans to produce sensitive vaccines like anti-rabies and anti-snake venom by mid-April 2018.
Jeevan Jal hits market today
