New Pharmaline plant to double production

Company eyes growing its exports

Pharmaline, manufacturer of pharmaceutical products and member of Malia Group, plans to build a new factory in Nahr Ibrahim. The investment amount for the expansion is around $15 million.

The new production site will acquire an area of 6,000 m², in addition to 2,000 m² of unoccupied space which will be used for new production lines. Carole Abi Karam, General Manager at Pharmaline, said the decision to expand the premises serves the company’s strategy which involves adding new lines of operation and increasing production capacity.

According to Abi Karam, Pharmaline took the challenging decision to move forward despite local and regional instabilities: “Our strategy is based on the local market where we will continue to invest in order to further develop and consolidate our market presence here.”

The expansion is expected to double Pharmaline’s production capacity.
Abi Karam said exporting is a must to further develop the industry and achieve a higher return on investment: “Our exports represent around 20 percent of our turnover. We are determined to substantially increase this percentage in the coming years.”

The new factory will offer jobs to some 150 workers, with opportunities targeting professionals and highly skilled individuals. “We are looking forward to help reverse the brain drain at home, as well as offer opportunities within our export markets,” said Abi Karam.

Pharmaline was founded in 1987. The company manufactures and markets its products under the Pharmaline brand. It also manufactures under license a wide-range of products for several multinational companies. The Pharmaline brand is currently present in markets across the Levant, the GCC, and Africa. It has also started to tap the markets in Europe.

Reported by Rania Ghanem