Contract signed for first comprehensive cancer-drugs plant

Contract signed for first comprehensive cancer-drugs plant

From left, Dr Withoon Danwiboon, managing director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and PTT chief executive officer Auttapol Rerkpiboon are at the contract signing ceremony at the Medical Council of Thailand in Nonthaburi province on Friday. (Photo supplied)
From left, Dr Withoon Danwiboon, managing director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and PTT chief executive officer Auttapol Rerkpiboon are at the contract signing ceremony at the Medical Council of Thailand in Nonthaburi province on Friday. (Photo supplied)

NONTHABURI: The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) and PTT Plc on Friday signed a contract to build the country's first factory to produce a full range of medications and chemicals for the treatment of cancer.

The project, still under study, would be sited at the PTT Wanarom Eco Zone Industries estate in Ban Chang district of Rayong. Construction is planned to begin in 2022 and commercial production in 2027.

Presiding over the contract signing at the Medical Council of Thailand, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the plant should halve the country's expenditure on cancer medicines and chemicals, which must be imported and cost the state about 21 billion baht a year.

Mr Anutin said cancer kills about 80,000 people each year in Thailand and the medicines are very expensive. The project was aimed at the local production of all kinds of drugs and chemicals for all types of cancer.

GPO managing director Withoon Danwiboon said the plant would produce drugs for chemotheraphy and the targeted therapy of cancer.

PTT chief executive officer Auttapol Rerkpiboon said PTT would provide engineering and management expertise for the project. The detailed feasibility study would take about 14 months.

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