December 2, 2009. Armenia’s second Pharmaceutical Competitiveness Conference was held in Yerevan on yesterday on the initiative of the USAID-funded Competitive Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) Project in partnership with the RA Government, the Scientific Center of Drug and Medical Technology Expertise (SCDMTE), the Union of Medicine Producers and Importers of Armenia, Armenian Development Agency, and National Competitiveness Foundation.

The event updated industry representatives on the current status of the sector, promoted collaboration among pharmaceutical sector stakeholders, and encouraged discussions on major industry issues, including financial crisis impact on pharmaceutical production, adoption of international industry standards and export market opportunities.

Around 200 participants representing government, the private sector, educational institutions, international organizations and business associations attended and discussed various important issues, including: opportunities for Armenian pharmaceutical producers in domestic and foreign markets, the need for improvements in medicine regulation, the current situation of medicine production in Armenia and possible development scenarios, etc.

Opening the conference, Ara Babloyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Healthcare of the National Assembly, praised the efforts of the conference organizers and highlighted the importance of raising issues requiring legislative solutions. “Broad discussions like this will provide an excellent opportunity to analyze the weaknesses and the challenges that can be overcome in future. A sound legislative filed will create favorable conditions for medicine circulation” he added.

David Hull, Director of the Economic Growth Office, USAID/Armenia said. “USAID attaches importance to the assistance being provided to the Armenian pharmaceutical industry because domestically produced drugs significantly contribute to the availability and affordability of major drugs. Under the CAPS Project, assistance is being provided to bring the sector in line with international standards, which will also help enhance the sector's competitiveness and promote exports.”

Other keynote speakers included Emil Gabrielyan, Director of SCDMTE who highlighted the issues related with implementation of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) international standard in Armenia and Artak Ghazaryan, CAPS Chief of Party.

The conference built upon the success of the first Pharmaceutical Competitiveness Conference, held last November by CAPS and its major partners in the pharmaceutical industry. That conference focused on introducing Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.