The Punjab Industrial Estates (PIE) has decided to set up a drug testing laboratory of an international standard at a cost of Rs 100 million at the Sundar Industrial Estate. According to the PIE's spokesman, the laboratory is being set up with main objectives of promoting research and testing of international standard that would serve the entire pharma sector in the country.
In a recent meeting with the PIE management, the Federal Health Ministry assured its all-out co-operation for setting up of Pakistan Drug Testing and Research Centre (PDTRC) at the industrial estate. The PDTRC will act as a drug testing laboratory for pharmaceutical manufactures to perform sophisticated tests which require high-tech and expensive laboratory equipment. The centre will also act as a research centre for Bio-equivalence studies for drugs to be exported.
Other services to be provided at the laboratory include; dissolution profiling, IT support for manufacturing, documentation, laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and MIS, certified references for quality control, analytical method development, validation continuing updates and education of technical staff.
It is worth mentioning that 160 pharma industrial units are being established in Sundar Industrial Estate for pharmaceutical manufacturing. Keeping in view of rising pharma units at the industrial estate, the PIEDMC has allocated a separate zone for pharmaceutical manufacturers beside making Rs 50 million available for this purpose.