STO and AstraZeneca sign agreement to import quality medicine

STO has introduced the medicinal drugs of AstraZeneca, one of the world's leading European pharmaceutical manufacturers.

STO will be the exclusive distributor of AstraZeneca's products in Maldives.

The State Minister of the Health Ministry, Ahmed Adil, attended the ceremony that was held yesterday at Kurumba Maldives as the chief guest. STO’s CEO and MD Abdullah Saeed, AstraZeneca Business Manager Abhishek Kaushik and other prominent health workers were also present at the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, STO’s CEO Saeed said AstraZeneca became a popular name in Maldives during the pandemic.

“AstraZeneca's name is a trusted brand that has stuck in people's minds since during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, STO has already signed agreements with 26 companies to import pharmaceuticals and health products directly from the companies,” Saeed said.

With the introduction of AstraZeneca in Maldives, STO said they will be able to import the medicine at a lower cost and that this will also strengthen the government's efforts to ensure that medicines for chronic diseases are available without running out.

In addition, STO said that importing quality medicines from a large company like AstraZeneca will increase the confidence of the people in the medicines imported by STO.

Under the agreement with the company, STO will provide 14 medicines to the people under Aasandha. These include medicines for cancer, gastric and diabetes.

STO's main objective is to provide quality medicines to the people, they said. 

“STO aims to facilitate the widespread availability of quality pharmaceutical and healthcare products directly from manufacturers without any intermediaries in Maldives,” The company said.

Noting that this will have a huge impact on the lives of Maldivians the company said the import of medicines and health products will enable doctors to choose quality medicines when prescribing medicines.

They further said that the agreement between STO and AstraZeneca will improve the health sector in Maldives, improve the quality of medicines used by the public and provide a major solution to the difficulties in obtaining medicines.

The availability of low-quality medicines in the country is a concern for many. The government has started work to resolve the issue.