House Committee on Trade and Industry Chair Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr. and House Committee on Health Chair Rep. Ciriaco B. Gato Jr. recently visited Amherst Laboratories (Amherst), one of Unilab, Inc.’s (Unilab) manufacturing facilities in Laguna, where they were briefed on the company's manufacturing operations, quality assurance systems, and investments in pharmaceutical research and development. Unilab is the Philippines’ leading pharmaceutical and health company. The visit is part of the officials’ efforts to understand the state of the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, about which several proposals are pending in their Committees.

Unilab has eight manufacturing plants across the country of which Amherst is the biggest in its 3.5-hectare Pharma Campus located in Mamplasan, Laguna. It is the first pharmaceutical plant in the country that has been declared compliant to the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards of the European Union and Singapore.

The plant produces over 200 ingestible solid medicines in the form of tablets, capsules, and powders, as well as 69 liquid products. Its built-in state-of-the-art system allows uninterrupted operations and remote monitoring which prevent any disruption should there be an energy fluctuation or power failure.

During the tour, the two lawmakers were briefed on the global manufacturing standards for pharmaceutical and health care products, as well as opportunities for local companies like Unilab to boost the local health industry, as envisioned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the Philippines to be a self-sufficient pharmaceutical hub in ASEAN.

In a Facebook post, Rep. Dalog recognized Unilab’s investment in maintaining manufacturing operations in the country, noting how “it opens employment opportunities while showcasing Filipino talent and ingenuity.”

Unilab has more than 500 brands of top-quality prescription, over-the-counter, and personal care products in its portfolio. Established in 1945, it has been the trusted source of quality medicines and other health products that has taken care of Filipino patients and consumers for more than eight decades.

It follows globally recognized standards across research, manufacturing, quality assurance, distribution, and post-market surveillance which makes the company the benchmark for pharmaceutical and health care products. Its in-house research and development team continues to develop evidence-based solutions designed to meet the specific and evolving needs of Filipinos. Unilab has strict quality control processes, employing checks in every step of the process – from sourcing of raw materials, manufacturing, storage and distribution, up to post-marketing surveillance.

To date, Unilab is the only pharmaceutical company that has been awarded the prestigious Philippine Quality Award for Performance Excellence while Amherst has won the Philippine Quality Award for Mastery in Quality Management.