History
PPMA Through The Last 50 Years
As the association celebrates its Golden Jubilee in the year 2000, its membership has increased to an even 40. It could easily have been 50. “PPMA! 50 at 50” could have been the theme for its Golden Jubilee celebration. But that was not meant to be. And no thanks to the mergers and acquisitions of companies that became the vogue during the last two decades of the 20th century.
With its 40-strong members today, PPMA continues with its role of providing the forum for the exchange of technical and logistics expertise to upgrade the quality and standards of manufacturing in the local pharmaceutical industry. This allowed the manufacturing sectors of the industry to be in lockstep with the international developments that have become more discerning, fast-paced and grossly encompassing.
The role of the association was essentially provided by the vision of the ten gentlemen and a lady who started it all. In 1950 they pooled their resources together with the main objective of elevating the standards of the then fledgling pharmaceutical industry in the Philippines. They formed the group and incorporated it. They called it the Philippine Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association or PPMA. The Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC approved their application for registration on September 30, 1950, 50 years ago today.
The original incorporators or the Founders of the association are:
- Dr. Agustin Liboro, Lexal Laboratories
- Dr. Jose Gonzales, Laboratorio Gonzales
- Mr. Generoso Velasquez, Farmacia San Fernando
- Mr. Alvaro Orejana, Orejana Laboratories
- Mr. Jose Ma. Galatas, Metro Drug Corporation
- Mr. Rafael Pangilinan, Rafgers Laboratories
- Mr. Mariano Zamora, Farmacia Manuel Zamora
- Dr. Olimpio Villacorta, Modern Research Laboratories, Inc.
- Mr. Primo Arambulo, Arambulo Laboratories
- Dr. Ciriaco Santiago, Hermoso Drugstore
- Mrs.Maria S. Quesada, Doctors Pharmaceuticals
During their first meeting, they elected among themselves Dr. Agustin Liboro as the association’s very first President. They also elected as Vice-President, Jose Ma. Galatas and Mrs. Maria S. Quesada, Secretary-Treasurer. The board of Directors were Dr. Jose Gonzales, Alvaro Orejana, Rafael Pangilinan, Mrs. Esperanza Zamora, Dr. Ciriaco Santiago, Primo Arambulo and Dr. Olimpio Villacorta. Rafael Pangilinan acted as Adviser, while Pete Teodoro was appointed PRO.
Then and now, membership of the association is by companies and not by individual. Each company member designates an official representative and an alternate.
THE EARLY YEARS – Decades of the 50’s & 60’s
Right after its organization, the association accepted its newest member. Before the end of 1950, BOIE Watsonal Laboratories became a member of the association. The next year, 11 Pharma manufacturing companies joined the association. These included Hizon Laboratories, Pascual Laboratories, Estraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories (eventually bought by USV Pharmaceuticals Corporation which in turn was acquired by Rorer), Quinosil Laboratories, Lira-Codez Laboratories, A.T. Suaco & Co., Inc. (eventually acquired by Wyeth), Merck Sharp & Dhome (Philippines) Inc., Sterling Products International, Inc. Oceanic Pharmacal (eventually bought by Nicholas (Philippines) Inc., a pharma company acquired by Sara Lee which was later on acquired by Roche), Vicks International, Inc. (eventually acquired by Richardson-Merrell), and Muller and Phipps Manufacturing Corporation.
Year after year new members were admitted. Some have changed their corporate names due to mergers and acquisitions, while there were those that ceased operations. From 1952 to 1965, 16 new members were added. These included Kerk Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Abbott Laboratories, Inc., Oro Laboratories, E. R. Squibb and Sons (Phil.) Corporation, Pharmaceutical Industries (which eventually merged with Muller and Phipps to be what is known today as Interphil Laboratories, Inc.), Arguz Pharmaceutical Products, Inc., Associated Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Pfizer Laboratories (Philippines) Inc., Parke Davis & Company, Inc. (acquired by Warner- Lambert), Winthrop-Stearns, Inc., Zodiac Pharmaceutical Co. Inc., Inhelder Laboratories, Inc., Warner-Chilcott (Phils.) Inc. (which became Warner-Lambert and then merged with Pfizer), United Laboratories, Inc., Otalco Corporation and Cebu based Philippine Pharmaceutical Products.
In the early part of 1950’s during the import control period, PPMA played a very important role in channeling import allocations to legitimate pharmaceutical manufacturers. The association was also instrumental in convincing the Bureau of Supply to delete from government bid proposals the term “U. S. Made” or “Foreign Made.” This action was based on the premise that the practice of including these words on the proposals gave the impression that locally manufactured products are inferior.
In 1964-65 during the incumbency of Mrs. Leonora F. Pascual of Pascual Laboratories, PPMA celebrated its 15th anniversary. They held a simple but auspicious and appropriate celebration. PPMA issued its first publication - - the 15th Anniversary Souvenir program where most of the details of the early years of PPMA were culled from.
As early as in its early years, PPMA has cooperated and coordinated with various organizations in the prosecution of people engaged in the nefarious activities such as counterfeiting of drugs and sale of samples.
In 1968 to 1969 with Mr. Mariano S. Quesada of Doctors Pharmaceuticals as President of the association, the Revised Pharmacy Bill was enacted. Also in 1969, representatives from PPMA and CFDM or the Chamber of Filipino Drug Manufacturers agreed to have a joint observation tour of manufacturing and laboratory facilities of top pharmaceutical companies in Japan and Taipei. As reported to their respective membership, the manufacturing and laboratory facilities in the Philippines were at par with those that they have visited.
The Quarter and other Storms of the 70’s
The decade of the 70’s started with tumultuous undertones: student unrest, labor protests and strong nationalistic sentiments brought about by general feeling of discontent of the government regime at the time.
Perhaps going with the times, the PPMA during the term of President Mariano C. Gana (1971-1973) saw the resignation of most of the Filipino-owned member companies to join CFDM, an organization of Filipino Drug Manufacturers.
In 1970, PPMA decided not to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Instead, the budget and resources for the celebration were donated to the victims of typhoon “Yoling.”
A PPMA-initiated mobile clinic was put in place providing medical supplies, medicines, etc. to various indigent members of the communities in Quezon City. The van was provided by the Quezon City Council, under the sponsorship of their Councilor Mario Montenegro, the actor.
During the term of Heleno Tolentino of Squibb (1974-1975), the Pharmaceutical Industry Committee was created paving the way for the formal organization of FPIP or Federated Pharmaceutical Industry of the Philippines in line with Presidential Decree No. 488 dated January 21, 1974. The Federation comprised the three pharma industry organizations, Drug Association of the Philippines or DAP (now known as PHAP or Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines), PPMA and CFDM which were equally represented by the respective Presidents and three Board members from each organization. Chairmanship was by rotation among the three organizations with CFDM President, Rafael Hizon, Jr., as the first chairman of the Federation in 1976.
Raul Rivas of Abbott Laboratories, 1976-1977 President, took over as FPIP chairman in 1977. It was during this period that PPMA started to conduct and sponsor technical seminars for the benefit of its members. Most of the efforts of PPMA addressed the issues of increasing pharmaceutical exports by way of trade missions to prospective foreign markets and request for tariff protection.
The decade ended with Heleno Tolentino re-assuming the Presidency in 1978-1979. For the very first time, PPMA saw the need to conduct a seminar on Current Good Manufacturing Practices offered to members and interested non-members as well.
It was during the decade of the 1970’s that PPMA started to accept associate members. These are members who have no manufacturing facilities of their own but some if not all of their products are toll manufactured by a member company.
During this period the following companies were added to the roster of PPMA membership: A.N.A. Laboratories, Bayer (Philippines) Inc., Rachelle Laboratories Inc., Marsman Laboratories, Inc. Mead Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Richardson-Merrell, AH Robins (Philippines) Inc. and Wyeth-Suaco Laboratories, Inc.
The Sophisticated Decade of the 1980’s
The last 2 decades of the last century ushered in a kind of sophistication, rigid, and exacting in the technical and manufacturing aspects of the pharmaceutical industry. A more stringent GMP was coming into shape: Zone Concept, Laminar Flow, more demanding process of Validation and Documentation, etc. State of the art manufacturing and laboratory equipment, process control systems, ISO-9000, etc. came into place.
But the membership was well prepared to accept these challenges and more.
During the start of 1980’s, Raul Rivas took to the helm of the association once again (1980-1981). PPMA focused its activities to address government-initiated bills affecting the pharmaceutical industry, among which are IBP Bill 464 or the Generics Bill, IBP Bill 499 – Prohibition of Importation of Drugs Banned in other countries and IBP Bill 1104 – Advertising of the Adverse or Side Effects of Drugs Commercialized on Mass Media.
In 1980, Doctors Pharmaceuticals and Hizon Laboratories rejoined the association. To accept the challenges of the decade, Technical Seminars along Validation subjects such as Assay, process, Sterile area and Support System Validation were conducted.
Raul Rivas served as President until his untimely death on November 21, 1981. Lirio Altura of Metro Laboratories, Inc., as Vice-President served as President for the remainder of the term.
During the term of Isaias Obias of Pfizer as president in 1982-1984, the seminars conducted tackled varied issues like systems engineering, material wastage control and productivity improvement. Fellowship and Christmas parties were held for the first time. The members enjoyed these activities as they become closer. They got to know each other more not only in Technical terms but more importantly, they started to enjoy and appreciate their interpersonal relationships, their brand of humor and their infectious laughter. And since then, the tradition was set.
From 1980 to 1984, three companies were added tot he roster of membership, namely, Ciba Philippines (later on merging with Sandoz to become what is now called Novartis), Global, Inc., and Eli Lilly (Philippines) Inc.
Rose Manacsa of Mead Johnson was the president the following year. During her term, additional subjects like Productivity Circles and Brainstorming Techniques were added to the continuing seminars being conducted. Meanwhile, her company, Mead Johnson was engaged in acquisition and merger with two other companies, Bristol Myers and Squibb.
Lirio Altura of Metro Laboratories, Inc. was elected to full-term president for two years in 1986 and 1987. During his term two main issued were addressed: Actions to take to control fake and counterfeit drugs and the liberalization of the banning of importation of ampicillin and amoxycillin. The last issue was addressed in coordination with FPIP, after which the Federation quietly faded away. Three companies were inducted to membership this time. These were Morishita-Seggs Pharmaceuticals, Boots Company and Rhea Pharmaceuticals (later to be known as Telstar Manufacturing Corporation).
During the term of Juan Cadano, Jr. of Abbott Laboratories (1988-1989), Cyanamid Philippines and Rorer Philippines joined the association. Rorer in the meantime was merged with Hoechst and Rhone Poulenc; and the three merged companies are now called Aventis.
Towards Y2K – The Hi-tech ‘90’s
Technology shifted to high gear during the last decade of the century just past. The members geared themselves up to face the challenges of the evolving hi-tech world. In the meantime the Y2K bug started to rear its ugly head. It was an added challenge borne out of the fear of the unknown. The forever upgrading technology was utilized to confront the added challenge of the bug that the same technology created in the first place.
In the last decade the PPMA was led by three gentlemen and a lady, starting with Jesus Veguillas of Pfizer who served for two terms, 1990 and 1991. Swiss Pharma, Roche, Pharmacia & Upjohn and Astra (which later on merged with Zeneca to be known as AstraZeneca) were inducted as members. A review of the constitution and by-laws of the association was initiated for possible amendments.
During the term of Oliver Jumao-as of Bristol-Myers-Squibb, from 1992 to 1994, the idea of acquiring a permanent office was discussed. Heretofore, the secretary of the association was allowed a desk and a telephone space at the offices of PHAP at a concessional amount of rental. During this period four companies were inducted as members: Ashford, Biogenerics, Glaxo-Wellcome and Jannsen.
The longest serving president of the association to date is Renato Valino of AstraZeneca. His term from 1995 to 1998 saw PPMA in a lot of projects and activities. It pursued the update and revision of the by-laws of the association which eventually got registered and approved by SEC in March, 1995 (reprinted somewhere in this publication). The biggest project pursued was the acquisition of a permanent office of the association. The Special Projects Committee, chaired by Amante Galang , tasked to carry out fund raising activities to finance the acquisition of the office the PPMA can call its own, staged a golf tournament and sponsored two repertory musical shows at Meralco Theatre. By the time the four-year term of President Rene ended, PPMA had enough funds to finalize and acquire an office-condominium in the commercial and business district of Makati.
Before the end of the decade, these companies were inducted to membership: AD-Drugstel, Almine International, EL Laboratories, Germed Pharma, Hi Easai Pharma, La Croesus Pharma, Lafayette Pharma Laboratories, Lejal Laboratories, Phoenix Pharma, Philmed Laboratories, Sigart Pharma, SmithKline Beecham and YSS Laboratories. Also, Pascual Laboratories rejoined the association in August 1995.
Shortly after Ms. Rosalina Nolasco of Swiss Pharma was inducted President in January 1999, the association inaugurated and blessed its new and permanent office at Room 1217 Cityland 10 Tower II, Ayala Avenue corner H. V. dela Costa Street, City of Makati on April 29, 2000.
Before the close of the decade, President Sally once again activated the special projects committee of the association to prepare for the forthcoming Golden Anniversary celebration. Re-elected to a second term, President Sally Nolasco will go down in the history of PPMA as the last PPMA president of the 20th century and the very first PPMA president of the New Millennium.
PPMA in 2001
In 2001, true to its vision of technical expertise, PPMA, under the strong leadership of Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco, held a GMP Validation Seminar at Legend Hotel on September 28-29 through the efforts of Mr. Eduardo M. Cabrera. During the GMMs which were all conducted at New World Hotel, known personalities were invited as guest speakers on topics of special interest. Mr. Perfecto Yasay, former SEC Chairman, graced the first meeting on February 20. Dr. William Torres of BFAD, representing Health Secretary, Conrado Dayrit, came during the second GMM held on May 24 while Ms. Patricia Magdaraog spoke on “The Total Professional Look” during the 3rd GMM on September 13. New members, GX International and Sanofi-Synthelabo, Phils. were inducted on the same occasion. The 4th GMM which was highlighted by the election of officers and the colorful Christmas party was done on December 7 at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel. Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco was re-elected president of the association. During the year Ms. Celia Algarme chaired the Programs Committee while Mr. Jose Jimenez, Jr. was in-charge of membership.
Under the Special Projects Committee headed by Mr. Amante V. Galang, the musical play ,“The Secret Garden,” was staged at W.J. Shaw Theatre and C. P. Romulo Theatre on November 20 and December 11, 2001 respectively to raise funds for the activities and projects of the association. It was during this year that the PPMA Scholarship Program was initiated and the first beneficiary was Mr. Glenn Sandee del Rosario of the UP –Manila, College of Industrial Pharmacy. It was during this year too that the increase in membership dues effective 2002 was approved. Meanwhile, with regards to the BFAD Industry Joint Committee, Ms. Lucita Y. Soriano, chair of Regulatory Affairs, and Ms. Marlyn del Rosario were appointed alternates to Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco, the principal delegate.
PPMA in 2002
The involvement of PPMA, with Mrs. Nolasco as president, in providing technical expertise specially in manufacturing and regulatory related matters continued with more vigor in 2002 under the able steering of Mr. Eduardo Cabrera, the chairman of the Technical Seminars Committee. Two important seminars were held: “Processing of Dry and Moist Pharma Products, GMP and HACCP Requirements for Pharma Equipment, Validation and Advance Control” on March 5 at New World Hotel sponsored by Europ Continents and “Handling Non-Conformances and Product Complaints, Root Cause Analysis and TQM” on August 29-30 at Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila.
Likewise, the practice of inviting known personalities during the GMMs continued under the new chairman of Programs Committee, Mr. Jose Jimenez, Jr.. Hon. Benjamin Abalos, Sr. then MMDA Chairman was the guest speaker during the first GMM held at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel on March 11. The GMM that followed was done out of town and it was in the historic Corregidor Island that Lloyd Laboratories, Inc. was inducted as a new member. At the 3rd GMM held at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Dr. William Torres, former BFAD director, was the special guest. Baxter Healthcare, Phils., Inc. was added to the list of members during this meeting. On December 9, during the final GMM for 2002, the usual election of officers, at which Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco was elected president for 2003, and the fun-filled Christmas party as well as the swearing in of Boie-Takeda Chemicals, Inc. as the 42nd member were held. Ms. Elizabeth Perez was responsible for membership during the year.
The Special Projects Committee, with the dynamic Ms. Lizanne Castillo at the helm, sponsored the musical play, “A Christmas Carol,” on December 6 and 13 at W.J. Shaw Theatre and CP Romulo Theatre respectively to fund existing projects. It is during this year that the issues on BC 15, Phil. Pharmacopeia, USP 25 and Harmonization came to the forefront of regulatory concerns. Ms. Lucita Y. Soriano continued to be alternate to Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco as delegate to the BFAD Industry Joint Committee. The year also saw the revival of the Ethics Committee under Ms. Pura Averilla and the donation of assorted medicines to Ms. Imelda Papin courtesy of Hizon Labs, La Croesus Pharma, Roche Phils., GX Intenational, Boots Company., AstraZeneca, Wyeth Phils., and Ashford Labs.
PPMA in 2003
New developments sprouted in 2003 during the last term of Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco. This time the first technical seminar for the year and the 1st GMM as well as the induction of officers and the new member company, OEP Phils., were done in Panda Hotel, HongKong on March 6-9 sponsored by IMA and Romaco Pharma Technik. Continuing the activities which were initiated by Mr. Ed Cabrera, who was assigned in Thailand, Mr. Andrelito Cabrido, the Technical Seminars Committee chairman who took over the post during the later part of the year, organized the plant visit to Union Cement in Norzagay, Bulacan on September 4 to learn more about waste management techniques. At the end of the same month, a seminar on “SUPAC and Similarity Factor and Transition from Product Development BFAD” was given by Ms. Joyce Cirunay of BFAD and by Mr. Joey Adriatico of Interphil at Sitio Fernandina.
The Programs Committee with Mr. Jose Jimenez, Jr. as chairman had Mr. Bayani Fernando of MMDA as guest speaker during the 2nd GMM held at Edsa Shangri-La on July 3. At the 3rd GMM in Astoria Plaza, Dean Yolanda Robles of the UP Manila-College of Pharmacy was the invited guest. The 4th GMM and Christmas Party was held, like the previous year, at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel on December 3. Ms. Lizanne Castillo was elected president for 2004 to continue leading the association in its mission to serve the industry. Flexo Manufacturing was inducted also as first allied member. This time Ms. Pura Averilla was in-charge of membership. There were 18 manufacturers and 22 traders.
There was no musical play sponsorship this year. The efforts of the Special Projects Committee were focused on the organization of the PPMA Foundation and the creation of the PPMA website. There were three scholars: Mr. Glenn Sandee del Rosario, Mr. Benedict Radoc and Ms. Monette Samonte. For the Ethics Committee headed by Mr. Renato Valino, on the other hand, the concentration was on the new PPMA Primer and the amendments to the Constitution and By-laws and the Code of Ethics which were duly approved at Astoria Plaza on October 23.
PPMA, with Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco as chair of the Regulatory Affairs Committee, was involved too in a lot of activities. Among them were the EMB Consultative Meeting on Strengthening Environment Enforcement Capacity Compliance and Technical Assistance held on January 6, the DOH Recognition Night of Manufacturers done at Manila Hotel on September 29 attended by about 80 manufacturers , the Consultative Meeting on the Guidelines for the Implementing Rules/ Regulation of the Environment User Fee on November 20 at Rembrant Hotel and the Joint BFAD-Drug Industry Meeting on Batch Certification/ Brand Name Clearance/ GMP at BFAD-AVR on December 2.
Thus, the millennium president, Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco capped her five years of service as president of PPMA with her sterling record of dedication, commitment, integrity and generosity making her one of the most outstanding leaders in PPMA history.
PPMA in 2004
The 1st year of presidency of another dynamic lady, Ms. Lizanne Y. Castillo, in 2004 was faced with the challenging increase for more meaningful and relevant activities in line with the objective to enhance the technical expertise of both member and non-member companies in the country. The Technical Seminars Committee under Ms. Lucita Y. Soriano organized 5 seminars as follows: 1. “Pharma Powder Processing” sponsored by Equisys Enterprises and Collette N.V. at Galleria Suites on April 29, 2004., 2. “Updates on ASEAN Harmonization and Philippine Pharmacopoeia” given by Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco at Astoria Plaza Hotel on May 6, 3. “Pharmaceutical Analytical Method Validation” with Dr. Rudy H. Tan, SQCS Consultant, as resource person on May 18-19 at the same hotel, 4. “Current Trends in Tablet Coating” sponsored by Global Trading Commercial and Ideal Cures on July 2 at Edsa Plaza Hotel and 5. “Counterfeit – Is it Real?” by Edward Keller and Pura Group on August 26 at Shangri-La Hotel.
With regards to the GMMs, Mr. Jose Jimenez, Jr. , Programs Committee chair, did a good job in inviting the BFAD director, Prof. Leticia B. Gutierrez, both as inducting officer and guest speaker during the 1st meeting held at Hotel Intercon on March 12. The 2nd GMM was held at Edsa Plaza Hotel on July 2. PPMA , on the other hand, had a guest speaker from the academe of nature during the 3rd GMM held on September 27 at Edsa Plaza Hotel, the famous actress and activist, Ms. Chin-Chin Gutierrez. Moving to another venue, PPMA held the December 3 Christmas party and 4th GMM at Dusit Hotel where Ms. Lizanne Castillo was once more elected to lead the organization in 2005.
The Membership Committee headed by Ms. Pura G. Averilla came up with the induction of 3 new allied members during the year, namely: Netpak Philippines, Inc., San Miguel Packaging Products and GDL Capsule Philippines, Inc. It was unfortunate, however, that during the same year, OEP withdrew its membership while Germed Pharma’s membership had to be terminated because of untenable delinquencies. The merger between Sanofi-Synthelabo and Aventis Pharma also took place during the year. The Regulatory Affairs Committee meanwhile, appointed Ms. Lizanne Y. Castillo as alternate to the principal representative, Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco who was also the Vice-Chair of the IWG Steering Committee. Some of the industry related activities where PPMA was involved were the BFAD Industry IWG Meeting on April 21, the Public Forum on the phasing out of metered dose inhalers on April 27, the launching of the Philippine Pharmacopoeia and BFAD 17th Foundation Day on April 30, the BFAD Joint Industry meeting on May 27 and the 8th ACCSQ PPWG Meeting held in Bangkok on July 21-23 where it was decided to have the 9th ACCSQ PPW Meeting in the Philippines from February 21 to 25, 2005 at New World Hotel. PPMA was also invited to the UP 22nd Foundation and Testimonial Dinner for Donors on October 21 at the UP Social Hall.
As far as the Special Projects Committee, chaired by Mr. Amante Galang, was concerned, work on the PPMA Foundation and the website continued and the musical play “Cabaret” was sponsored by the association on November 19 at the Music Museum to raise funds. So far, Mr. Glenn Sandee del Rosario retained the scholarship. Mr. Renato R. Valino of the Ethics and Classification Committee together with Ms. Adelle Coronel of PPMA Secretariat, on the other hand, worked on the filing of the amended Constitution and By-Laws with the SEC.
The first year of Ms. Lizanne Castillo’s presidency continued to place PPMA at a very significant position in the industry, playing a very clear role in pursuing technical expertise and development.
PPMA in 2005
The year 2005 marked the 55th year of untiring service to the pharmaceutical industry as envisioned by the founding members. The Technical Seminars Committee, still led by Ms. Lucita Y. Soriano, focused on “Validation Protocol” with Mr. Steve Martin as speaker , the echo seminar on “GMP of Non-Sterile Operations” and “Updates on the 10th ACCSQ Meeting” given by Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco and the BCP seminar handled by Mr. Jim Edwards and Mr. Jessie Grimalt held at Hotel Intercontinental Manila on the 27th of July. Once again this year, the association had an out-of-the country meeting. The 1st GMM and Induction of Officers was done in Bangkok on March 3-6. Natrapharm was also inducted as a new member here raising the total membership to 43. The 2nd GMM, which was held at Edsa Plaza Hotel on May 12, included a product presentation by Shimadzu.
During the momentous and colorful 55th founding anniversary celebration and 3rd GMM as well on September 30 at the Intercontinental Hotel Manila, the Special Projects Committee assisted by Ms. Adelle Coronel of the Secretariat and the staff of Ms. Lizanne Castillo headed by Ms. Mitch Lu, had arranged, with the help of Mr. Amante Galang, the wonderful show by the renowned musical group, “The CompanY.” It was the culminating performance of the original members of the group.
2005 also saw the graduation of the 1st PPMA scholar, Mr. Glenn Sandee del Rosario. For the year, the remaining beneficiary of the scholarship grant was Mr. John Michael Dominic Go.
At the 4th GMM and Christmas Party held at Edsa Plaza Hotel on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Mass was celebrated in thanksgiving for all the blessings to the association through the years. Ms. Lizanne Y. Castillo was again elected president to lead PPMA in carrying out its important mission in 2006.
PPMA in 2006: Looking Great and Looking to the Future
On her third year as president, Ms. Lizanne Y. Castillo, embarks on a stronger campaign to enhance the technical expertise of the members and to even share such much needed know-how to non-members alike in the pharmaceutical industry with more vigor and unfaltering determination.
The 1st GMM and Induction of Officers was done on February 28, at Discovery Suites and the inducting officer was Mr. Frank R. Billano. This was highlighted too by the talk given by Unleash International. The 2nd GMM was held at Edsa Plaza on May 12 during which the speakers were Ms. Joyce Cirunay and Mr. Andy Ferreria. The 2nd GMM will be remembered in PPMA history as the moment the association, as initiated by the president, Ms. Lizanne Y. Castillo, gave a special tribute to an outstanding and well-loved woman, a caring wife and mother and a strong leader in her professional circle, Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco through the dedicated efforts of the Programs Committee chaired by Ms. Elizabeth B. Perez assisted by the members , Mr. Alexii Alipio, Mr. Ivan Bunag, Mr. Mon Espiritu, Ms. Shirley Su-Alampay, Ms. Joy Domingo, Ms. Rose Brecio, Ms. Mitch Lu and Adelle.
The 3rd GMM will be done during the Shanghai trip this coming September 14-17 This includes conferences and plant visits to selected companies. The 4th GMM, Christmas Party and the annual election of officers, on the other hand, will be on December 8 at Edsa Plaza Hotel.
Regarding the technical seminars which are strongly pursued by the association, the 1st one on “Quality Seal, ASEAN GMP” and “Highlights of the 11th ACCSQ meeting” was respectively given by Ms. Joyce Cirunay of BFAD and Ms. Rosalina D. Nolasco of PPMA last April 05 at the Hotel Intercontinental. Another seminar will be conducted this August 29th at Dusit Hotel in cooperation with Siemens, Inc. on “Paving the Way to Process Understanding” by Mr. Leo Hammendorp and “Auditing an API Facility” by our very own Ms. Pura G. Averilla.
The much acclaimed musical play of all time, “The Sound of Music”, will be partly sponsored by PPMA on December 13 at 3:30 PM at Greenbelt 1, On-Stage. The association is very grateful to all the generous sponsors who believe in and continuously support the mission of PPMA.
PPMA looks forward to seeing the dreams and plans of our ever-active president, Ms. Lizanne Y. Castillo, and the entire officers and Board of Trustees become a living reality contributing significantly to the growth of the Philippine pharmaceutical industry.
2007 …THE YEAR THAT WAS.
Pursuing the vision and mission of the organization as a dynamic catalyst in the pharmaceutical industry particularly in the area of technical relevance and expertise, the various committees, working in teamwork, selflessly carried on their duties and responsibilities in the spirit of genuine service.
The committee started the year with the seminar on raw materials entitled The Supplier as Business Partner held last March 9, 2007 at Edsa Shangri-La, Mandaluyong City. A sequel to the successful seminar bearing the same title but dealing with packaging materials was done at Hotel Intercontinental Manila on June 19, 2007.
After almost two months, PPMA embarked on an important joint sponsorship with PCPI of the BFAD run seminar entitled Update on ASEAN Harmonization for MRA-GMP Inspection and conducted by the renowned Ms. Jesusa Joyce Cirunay at the Kalayaan Hall of Club Filipino at Greenhills, San Juan on August 10, 2007.
On August 29 RDNolasco gave updates on the 13th ACCSQ-PPWG Meeting at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel and on October 10 she discussed at Astoria Plaza the result of the Four-Part Survey on the ACTD for the Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use.
During the trip to Singapore the seminar on Risk Management was given by Mr. Steve Williams of Seerpharma Pty.
Three new members, expected to take part in the service rendered by PPMA to the industry, were inducted this year. Clarkchem, Inc., represented by its president, Mr. Rolando Amoranto and Mrs. Teodorica SJ Amoranto, EVP, was inducted during the meeting in Singapore last September 8 while Folares Pharmaceuticals represented by Ms. Michelle Uy and Apo International Marketing Inc., with Mr. Peter Kawsek, its owner, were formally accepted as members during the December GMM bringing the total membership to 46.
The quarterly General Membership Meetings ( GMM ) were done as scheduled. The first was held on March 19 at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City. The second was done on May 11 in the scenic Tagaytay Highlands where the atmosphere refreshes not just the mind but the spirit likewise. The 3rd GMM was conducted on September 8 at the NUSS Club, Suntec Tower 4, Suntec City, Singapore combining both business and pleasure. The Singapore trip involved also very important plant visits to Sanofi Aventis API Plant, Schering Plough Biotech Plant and Pfizer API Plant. The 4th GMM, Christmas Party and election of officers for 2008 was held on December 6 at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City.
PPMA was present at various activities through the regulatory affairs committee. There was the NGO Summit on ATS Abuse Prevention in Observance of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking ( IDADAIT ) last June 26, 2007. This was followed by the 13th ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality ( ACCSQ ) Pharmaceutical Product Working Group (PPWG ) Meeting held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from June 25 to 27, where Ms. Sally D. Nolasco was present. On November 26-29, the 8th Asean Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality ( ACCSQ ) Traditional Medicines and Health Supplements ( TMHS ) Pharmaceutical Product Working Group ( PPWG ) Meeting was done and PPMA was likewise present through the committee.
The revised memorandum of understanding between PPMA and Dean Yolanda Robles of UP Manila, College of Pharmacy was signed at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel last May 25. The PPMA Scholarship Program was renamed “PPMA Scholastic Grant” and the new scholar was Mr. Alexis Melvin C. Galera. Another signing of the MOU was done when Dean Jocelyn Palacpac took over the post at UP Manila, College of Pharmacy.
Looking at the entire year, PPMA can take pride in the activities done, the untiring members behind them and the ever active officers and members of the board generously giving their time, talents, energy and resources led by its president, Ms. Lizanne Castillo.
Year 2008 ..
The first GMM and Induction of officers for 2008 was held at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel last March 7th with Mr. Renato R. Valino, former president of PPMA, as guest of honor and inducting officer. Mr. Nestor Flores of Global Competitiveness Advocacy, Inc. gave a talk entitled “Business and Ethics: Not an Oxymoron.” With regards to the election, the same set of officers was elected to the same posts. During this meeting also Amber Packaging Corporation, represented by Mr. Tony Constantino and Ms. Cristina Aw Young, was inducted as new member.
The 2nd General membership Meeting for the year 2008 was held at the historic Island of Corregidor last May 30, 2008. The group left the Manila Bay terminal at about 8:00 AM aboard. the Sun Cruises vessel and started touring the memorable batteries , devastated structures reminding people of the harsh realities and lingering pain of the war and the exemplary valor and bravery of our very own soldiers. We had a simple but delightful lunch at Corregidor Inn and this was followed by a short meeting on the affairs of PPMA. The whole trip was enjoyed by everyone who silently whispered the famous line “ I SHALL RETURN”.
The 3rd GMM was highlighted by the plant visit to Hovione Pharma Science Ltd on September 19, 2009 in Macau and the Technical Seminar on September 20, 2009 sponsored partly by Novatek International.
The 4th GMM, fun-filled Christmas party and election of Officers for 2009 on December 5, 2009 at Intercontinental hotel was special. It was a tribute to the departed trustee, Mr. Jose M. Jimenez, whose loving family came to witness the event.
With reference to Technical seminars, “ Training on Self –Audit on Good Trade & Distribution Practices” was held in collaboration with BFAD last January 10-11, 2008 at RITM. March 10-11, 2008 - Quality Control at BFAD Annex - BFAD & PCPI , April 28 – 29, 2008 - GMP on Production at BFAD Annex bldg - BFAD & PPMA , May 13 –14, 2008 - Repeat seminar - Training on Self Audit… BFAD-PCPI June 24-25, 2008 - GMP Training on Documentation at RITM Auditorium–BFAD-PPMA. July 14-15, 2008 - GMP Training on Quality Control (Repeat) at BFAD Annex BFAD & PCPI August 28-29, 2008 – GMP Training on Premises at RITM Auditorium–BFAD-PPMA This collaboration is done monthly with PPMA and PCPI alternating in the task.
PPMA echo seminar on the 14th ACCSQ-PPWG and the 8th ACCSQ-TMHS-PWG was done last April 4 at Astoria Plaza with Ms. Sally Nolasco as resource speaker. The Y 2008 was a busy year with training and seminars in collaboration with BFAD.
With regards to Special Projects done in 2008, the staging of Mulan Jr. at the Greenbelt Onstage on October 25, 2008 was a big success under the leadership of Ms. Vita Toledo.
We have lots of fun in doing our mission in the industry with the general support of our President, Ms. Lizanne Y. Castillo and the Board of Trustees, although we felt the pain and sorrow of losing a dedicated trustee who is very dear to all. We look forward for the Y 2009 with great optimism that we can surpass what we have done and set new records of service to the industry.