The production area is effectively ventilated with air purification system and there is positive pressure within the rooms, to ensure that there is no cross-contamination and no contaminants are entering the production area. The Air purification system is currently undergoing changes.

The premises within the production area are carried out in such a way as to allow the production to take place in the areas connected in logical order, corresponding to the sequence of operations and to the requisite

of cleanliness levels. SOP for cleaning and machine operation is well outlined and followed regularly.

Premises for packing of our pharmaceutical products and designed and carried out in order to prevent mix-ups and cross contamination. The tablets and capsules lines are separate. Generally the production process is very neat, smooth, and easy to wash to meet the standard required.

The total capacity of the plant is to produce 1.3 Billion tablets and capsules per year in an eight hours work, but at this time we are operating only 100 million per year. And RX AFRICA (ETHIOPIA) is unique for its film coated tablets. This low output is dictated by lack of working capital.

Research and Development will always be our main focus. The research and development laboratories evaluate the quality and stability of the finished pharmaceutical product. Because of the importance that Rx Africa attaces to R & D, it has now constructed a spacious center where about 200 drugs will undergo stability and formulation studies between 2008 and 2010.

The company remains committed to R&D and maintains the following labs:

• Physiochemical Laboratory - Undertakes tests for raw materials, finished products and packing materials. Drugs are tested for solubility, reaction identification, loss on drying, ash content, limit tests, heavy metals, optical rotation, refractive index, etc.
• In-process Laboratory - Undertakes tests like disintegration time, friability, weight uniformity, wash water analysis, identification reactions etc.
• Instrumental Laboratory - Undertakes modern Instrumental Analysis.
  • Microbiological Laboratory - The main activities of this section are antibiotic analysis and microbial limit tests for non-sterile products.
  • Stability and formulation studies involve the testing of a variety of essential drugs for introducing them to African and Ethiopian markets.