Fourteen companies from Pakistan are participating in a three-day conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aiming to boost the Pakistan's access to regional medicine trade opportunities in the market of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Aseaan) worth 13 billion dollars a year.
The conference on the theme of "Asia Healthcare 2008" held under the auspices of Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and the Geneva-based International Trade Centre (ITC) was inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
The event will provide an opportunity to the Pakistani pharmaceutical companies to link across national borders to open new avenues for growth by interacting with 120 participant companies from 13 countries and to enter into one-to-one buyer - seller arrangement, joint sourcing and joint ventures, complementary production, concerted marketing, exchange of know-how and collaboration to improve operational performance.
The conference will provide the Pakistan healthcare companies the new venues to export their low-priced and high quality medical products to the growing and expanding market of Asean countries to meet the regional demand for low-cost drugs and traditional medicines.
The 10-country Asean has identified healthcare as a priority sector in which to accelerate regional integration because of Asia's strong comparative advantages in natural resources, labour skills and cost competitiveness.
The conference will also discuss the issues such as rules and regulations governing trade in pharmaceuticals and intellectual property rights, biotechnologies and quality assurance and safety in drug production.
More than 100 enterprises are participating in the conference, representing countries such as Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.-PR