YEREVAN. – The Fifth International Pharmaceutical Competitiveness Conference was held in Yerevan at the State Medical University of Armenia after Heratsi on Friday, organized by the Medicine Producers’ and Importers’ Union of Armenia with the support of the USAID-funded Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project, the Industrial Development Fund of Armenia, and the Armenian Development Agency.
The purpose of the conference was to present the latest pharmaceutical accomplishments in Armenia, discuss common issues and new projects, and to contribute to strengthening partnerships.
Participants included over 500 doctors, representatives of pharmacies, local and international pharmaceutical companies, scientists and experts from Yerevan, the Armenian provinces, and abroad.
Minister of Health Derenik Dumanyan, Deputy Minister of Economy Tigran Harutyunyan, and USAID/Armenia Mission Director Karen Hilliard delivered opening remarks emphasizing the role of the pharmaceutical sector in economic development and stating their readiness to support sector representatives.
In the coming years, through its EDMC project, USAID will support local small and medium enterprises to align local production with good manufacturing practices (GMP), increase awareness of international standards, develop skilled specialists, and promote exports.
The first session of the conference, entitled “Pharmaceutical Achievements of Armenia”, focused on the latest achievements and benefits of the Armenian pharmaceutical market, as well as on new developments, ongoing reforms and development strategies. During the second part of the conference, the representatives of foreign pharmaceutical companies presented international best practices and the pharmaceutical production standards used abroad. Participants heard from the General Manager of the Georgian GMP Pharmaceuticals company George Antadze, the Director of the Japanese Minophagen Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, and representatives of Astellas Pharma, Egis Pharmaceuticals, Gideon Richter, Pfizer and other companies.
Pharma Armenia EXPO, the annual specialized exhibition of pharmaceutics, was held in parallel with the conference with the participation of 20 companies.
