Federated Pharmaceutical, a member of the Lascelles de Mercado Group of Companies, has completed a J$200 million renovation exercise at its plant located on Bell Road, Kingston.

The facility, with new state-of-the-art equipment, was officially reopened by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller last week. In her address, the Prime Minister lauded Federated Pharmaceutical on almost 50 years of sterling service in the manufacture and distribution of a wide-ranging menu of essential medicinal products, including iron, vitamins, antibiotics, analgesics, anti-hypertensive and steroids.

Plays a vital role

Mrs. Simpson Miller noted that Federated Pharmaceutical is a company that plays a vital role in the drive to safeguard and promote the health of the nation. She said sustained health care interventions by the Government had resulted in Jamaica's health status being comparable with that of many developed countries.

"We established laws and regulations to ensure the quality and safety of both imported and locally manufactured drugs. These include a generic drug law which allows consumers to choose the less costly versions of brand-name drugs," noted the Prime Minister.

Also speaking at the reopening of the FP plant, managing director of Lascelles de Mercado, William McConnell, noted that ever since FP started production in 1958, its mantra has been quality and affordability.

Mr. McConnell said FP is driven to be recognised as the best pharmaceutical company in the Caribbean and to achieve this vision, the company was continuously growing and evolving its people, processes and technologies.

He said the key elements of the upgrading at FP have been the installation of world-class equipment and rigorous staff training, which will enhance the company's capacity and competitiveness in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy.

In the meantime, managing director of Lascelles Ltd., Bruce Terrier, announced that FP's operations are now designed to meet the highest standards mandated by the Government's regulations and HACCP industry standards. Mr. Terrier said the company was also significantly advanced in the process to achieve the International Standards Organisation, certification.

FP began as a relatively small operation with a staff of 28, but it has grown to become one of the largest pharmaceutical companies inthe Caribbean, employing over 70 persons in the pharmaceutical operation and manufacturing approximately 150 products.

Other speakers at the official reopening of the FP plant included Dr. Elizabeth Ward of the Ministry of Health, Doreen Frankson, president of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association, and Norman Dunn, president, Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica. There were performances from students of the Union Gardens Basic School and musician Jon Williams.