Venezuela to Increase Medicine Production in 2012

Caracas, Dec 17. -Deputy Minister of Health Jose España announced the opening of several drug factories by mid-2012 in order to increase and ensure the supply of necessary medicines for the population.España said in an interview for TV program Toda Venezuela that currently his portfolio is in talks with European countries to achieve that goal.

Espana noted that Health Minister Eugenia Sader is in Europe now for the acquisition of materials needed for the manufacture of drugs in different forms such as tablets, capsules and syrups.

He cited other current agreements on this matter with Portugal, Cuba and Colombia for the development of antibiotics and stressed that with these steps the Ministry will achieve the control of drug production in order to eliminate their shortage, a major change to put an end to the dependence on imported drugs. (Prensa Latina)