Sixty-third anniversary of Kinal: a moment of thought on the development of the pharmaceutical sector in Cambodia.

On December 16, a seminar on the development perspectives of the pharmaceutical sector in Cambodia was organized by PPM Laboratories at their production site on the occasion of the anniversary of the painkiller Kinal, the first modern medicine developed in Cambodia by Dr. Kok Sok Kim just after the kingdom’s independence.

Leading experts in the drug industry shared their experience with pharmacy and medical students coming from several universities and faculties: University of Health Sciences, Norton University Health, University of Puthisastra and International College

 Dr. Hay Ly Eang, the founder and president of PPM, emphasized that ensuring the safety of medicines and the well-being of the population requires Cambodia to be independent in the health sector.

“To preserve our national independence, our country needs a healthy population. We cannot defend ourselves if we are sick. So health independence is a necessity. To achieve this, we must work to produce the medicines we need ourselves. During the Covid-19 crisis, the demand for medicines increased and we were able to respond immediately because we have a production plant here. Also, while the price of some drugs increased during this crisis, PPM did not increase their prices precisely because we manufacture our own drugs and because the health and welfare of our people has been our number one priority.”

Dr. Chea Sin, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Puthisastra University, for his part, recommended that pharmacy students clearly define their goals during their studies so they can get the job they aspire to.

“Those who have clear goals are more successful than others because they know in advance what job they want. So, if your goal is to work in a manufacturing plant or to start one, you can ask your professors in your second year to find internships in existing plants to do during your school breaks in your second through fifth years. This will allow you to compare theory with practice and to get a good feel for the skills needed in production sites. When you complete your cursus, you will then be well prepared to begin your professional career and earn a higher salary right from the start.”

Ms. Tor Pety, a member of the board of directors of the IS Premium medical analysis laboratory, encouraged students to opt for her industry, which currently lacks human resources to accompany the development of the country’s health system.

“The analysis laboratories are an important link in the development of the country’s health system. 70% of medical treatment decisions depend on the results given by medical analysis laboratories, yet this branch lacks human resources in Cambodia but also in neighboring countries.

Dr. Sar Sampiseth, manager of Aosathasthan Yeung (Our Pharmacy), shared his experience of the Cambodian drug market. In particular, he advised future pharmacists to respect the ethical code of the profession in order to ensure the safety of medicines before providing them to their customers.

“If the pharmacist does not perform his role properly, who is affected? It’s our people, it’s our brothers who will suffer if we don’t do our job well.

 Ken Sopheatra, a student at Puthisastra University, was delighted to participate in this event.

“I am very happy that PPM offered us the opportunity to participate in this symposium which allowed us to benefit from the rich knowledge and successful experiences of the speakers in the pharmaceutical sector.

What is important is that we have acquired knowledge about “soft skills” and “hard skills” that I will be able to deepen like all the other participants so that all of us, together with PPM, participate in the development of the pharmaceutical sector. I hope that this kind of event will be repeated and I would like the students to have more time to ask questions to the speakers”.

In the afternoon of the same day, PPM also celebrated the 63rd anniversary of Kinal, its range of painkillers, by inviting a hundred or so of its distribution partners to its production site in order to strengthen the relationship with them.

It was in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual trust that Dr. Hay Ly Eang, CEO of PPM, who is also the founder of Confirel and the president of the Kinal Foundation, spoke with the guests.

“The relaunch of Kinal echoes the rebirth of Cambodia after the country regained peace. It has not been easy, but through our efforts, we have succeeded as our country has succeeded in moving forward on the path of peace and development as we can see today.

The Kinal of today is the image of our people, it has become a family. Before, there was only one formulation of Kinal. Today, Kinal is a large family of medicines that we have created to treat all forms of pain and fever in a specific and adapted manner.

With the Kinal range and all our other medicines, PPM are successful, the greatest proof of which is that we export a large part of our production, in particular to French-speaking African countries and to the French overseas islands. It is a great pride for us but also for our nation to see that the names of PPM and Kinal are known in the pharmacies of these distant countries.

We owe this success in particular to the active participation of our employees and to our distribution partners who work hard to make our products known so that they are adopted and supported by healthcare professionals and patients.

Once again, on the occasion of this anniversary of Kinal, I thank all of you, dear partners, for your support in this success story that we are all very happy about today”.

In an almost family-like atmosphere, representatives of PPM’s distributors, including DKSH, Zuellig Pharma, Nanika Soksabay and Pilltech Solution, expressed their satisfaction to be partners of PPM Laboratories, underlining that it was the largest producer of medicines in Cambodia and that the company had preserved and flourished the legacy of the first modern medicine produced in Cambodia, Kinal.

After a convivial dinner and listening to songs performed by company employees, participants were invited to dance to close this 63rd Kinal birthday in a good mood.