Work on the oncology park of Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (KSDP) is making progress, with the company acquiring over six acres close to its premises at Kalavur near Alappuzha. It has appointed consultants for designing the plant and manufacturing facilities.

The park, where medicines will be manufactured exclusively for cancer patients, will be set up at an estimated cost of ₹150 crore. It will be backed by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

The project is part of the company’s goal to provide quality medicines at affordable cost, mostly through the government medical care system, said K. Harikumar, managing director in-charge of the company. He added that KSDP had undergone upgradation of its facilities and had a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-accredited pharmaceutical laboratory.

KSDP was established in 1974 to manufacture and supply essential and life-saving medicines for patients at government hospitals. It also has Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant plants.

One of the objectives of the company is to make Kerala self-sufficient in quality medicines, said Mr. Harikumar. The company expects to raise the number of its products from the present 56 to 100 on its own. It has entered into an agreement with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to develop 15 more products.

The company has developed organ transplant medicines, the bio-efficiency of which is being tested. It plans to enhance its product profile and expand reach to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh, even as it has requested the government to grant it the status of a captive manufacturer, so that its operations can be streamlined.