Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle yesterday said Sri Lanka will start making 13 million doses of Sinovax vaccine next month.

“I think at this time of the pandemic the local manufacture of Sinovax vaccines, expected to commence in July, with an initial 13 million vaccines will be a great help,” he told the three-day virtually-held and multi-stakeholder-organised Sri Lanka Investment Forum (SLIF).

He said the first batch of the vaccines will be ready by September.

According to him, Sri Lanka was spending $ 400 to 500 million per annum on medicines.

“In the past 12-18 months around 40 medicines have commenced local manufacturing,” Attygalle said, adding that domestic manufacturing has also helped expenditure management of the Government.

Attygalle lists reform measures to boost Sri Lanka’s economic outlook