By Luis Jaime Acosta
BOGOTA (Reuters) -Swiss drugs and diagnostics maker Roche is investing $240 million in Colombia over five years as part of its plan to consolidate its presence in the country, a high-ranking executive said on Thursday.
The company invested $40 million in 2023 with the inauguration of a new distribution center on the outskirts of Bogota, said Marieli Alfonzo, Roche's general manager in Colombia.
"This investment of $240 million dollars is our commitment for the present and coming years," Alfonzo said in an interview.
Roche has a presence in Colombia with its diagnostic and pharmaceutical divisions, including work on oncology, orphan diseases, neurology and ophthalmology.
"Colombia is a super important country (for Roche), within Latin America it is among the three most important taking into account the population and the health system," Alfonzo said in an interview.
The company delivered 731,000 treatments and performed 168 million diagnostic tests in Colombia last year, Alfonzo said.
The investments show Roche's confidence in the country and will guarantee quality, safety and effectiveness for patients, as well as allowing the company to increase its number of employees in Colombia to 550, from 470, she added.