Further committing to its nation-building efforts, Lina Manufacturing – the
pharmaceutical manufacturing segment of Sunshine Healthcare Lanka (SHL), recently delivered
its first order of 100% locally formulated and manufactured Metered-Dose Inhalers (MDIs) to the
Ministry of Health (MoH).
Delivered through the Medical Supplies Division of the MoH, the consignment was handed over
to Dr. D. R. K. Herath, Deputy Director General – Medical Supplies Division, by Prof. Anil
Goonetilleke, Director & Founder of Lina Manufacturing. T. Sayandhan, CEO, Shiraz Akbarally,
Director and Lasitha Ranasinghe, Manager – Commercial Operations, Lina Manufacturing were
also present during the official handover of MDIs.
Sunshine Healthcare Lanka, the healthcare arm of the diversified conglomerate Sunshine
Holdings PLC, officially commenced the operations of Sri Lanka’s first Metered-Dose Inhaler
(MDI) manufacturing plant Lina Spiro Ltd in Kadawatha, in January 2021. The state-of-the-art
factory which has a qualified and experienced staff manufacturing a line of Respiratory Care
Products, is the only GMP certified manufacturer of MDI products in Sri Lanka.
Commenting on this special occasion, Lina Manufacturing Chief Executive Officer T. Sayandhan
said, “The unprecedented global health crisis since 2020 has reopened the now-urgent
discussion about the role of local pharmaceutical production in addressing the health needs in
countries like Sri Lanka. Lina Manufacturing is committed to supporting the growing demand for
locally-manufactured pharmaceutical products as a company that believes in nation-building
efforts. In that context, we are extremely honored to deliver our first, 100% locally formulated
and manufactured MDIs to the Health Ministry. This further facilitates access to needed and
affordable medicines for every Sri Lankan.”
Lina Manufacturing has been engaged in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector for over ten
years and is a thriving local manufacturer supplying a large variety of respiratory products to the
Government sector and private sector. Lina has pioneered the development of local respiratory
products with its patented Respiratory Inhaler Device and continues to invest significantly in
R&D to introduce more products. As Sri Lanka’s first Respiratory Care Research and
Manufacturing facility, Lina Manufacturing produces a range of respiratory pharmaceuticals and
devices, including Beclovent, Flutivent, Salbuvent, Prazolin, Winterpan and the award-winning
Ventohaler inhalers.
In December 2020, Sunshine Holdings announced its healthcare business’s strategic merger
consisting of Sunshine Healthcare Lanka and Healthguard Pharmacy with Akbar
Pharmaceuticals, Lina Manufacturing and Lina Spiro—the business units of Akbar Healthcare.
The merger’s finalisation elevated Sunshine Healthcare as Sri Lanka’s first fully integrated
healthcare company, starting from manufacturing up to retailing healthcare products, including
last-mile distribution across the country for all healthcare products. The company now operates
in all five segments of the healthcare supply chain, namely research and development (R&D),
manufacturing, importation, distribution and retail.
The company is committed to investing in expanding its production capabilities to facilitate and
decrease exposure to imports and international supply chains, ensuring the resilience of Sri
Lanka’s national healthcare systems.
From left – Shiraz Akbarally, Director, Prof. Anil Goonetilleke, Director & Founder, Lina
Manufacturing, Dr. D. R. K. Herath, Deputy Director General – Medical Supplies Division, T.
Sayandhan, CEO of Lina Manufacturing and Lasitha Ranasinghe, Manager – Commercial
Operations, at the official handover of MDIs.