The Sunday Mail
Tanyaradzwa Rusike
ZIMBABWE’S largest pharmaceuticals manufacturer, CAPS Pharmaceuticals will, within a fortnight, resume manufacturing penicillin-based antibiotics such as amoxicillin and benzyl penicillin.
The penicillin plant was shut-down in 2012 owing to viability problems.
The latest development is expected to improve local availability of penicillin related drugs, which were largely being imported.
CAPS chief executive officer, Mr Justice Majaka, said the company was set to start manufacturing penicillin antibiotics in the next two weeks.
He added that they were also expecting to begin production of the Large Volume Perenterals, commonly known as drips.
Mr Majaka said Zimbabwe currently imports all its Large Volume Perenterals.
“CAPS has been working on resuscitating the penicillin plant and opening the plant for Intravenous Fluid (IV Fluids) also known as Large Volume Parenterals (LVPs) or drips. The penicillin plant was re-opened in June this year and the first product batches are expected within the next two weeks,” he said.
Mr Majaka said penicillin antibiotics and drips were commonly used by patients and, in the wake of foreign currency challenges, manufacturing them locally would ensure their availability.
“The second plant will manufacture intravenous fluids (IV fluids) also known as Hospital Drips or Large Volume Parenterals (LVPs),” he said.
“The LVP plant will have an installed capacity of 7,5 million drips per year and this can be scaled up to 15 million units per annum. Production will also depend on demand from public hospitals, which consume 90 percent of the product.”
Mr Majaka said the target was to have the plant ready for inspection by year end.
