Glaxo Opens Rangoon Office To Boost Sales

Glaxo Holdings Plc opened a representative office in the Burmese capital Rangoon last month, to promote the marketing of its products in that country. Commenting on the move, a spokeswoman for the group's Singapore-based Glaxo Orient Pte said the main objective of the new office will be to introduce Glaxo's products to the people of Burma and enhance the quality of health care there. There are no immediate plans to manufacture locally.

Neil Maidment, Glaxo's executive director for Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, said Burma offers the company a strong strategic position to enter an important emerging market. The Rangoon office will be managed by five locals who are involved in a range of medical service activities, according to the company.

Steady Progress At Singapore Biotech Center Meantime, Glaxo's new jointly-managed biotechnology center in Singapore is making steady progress, with a large quantity of plants and other natural products having been collected locally and from the region for research to discover new compounds.