Takis Pattichis Museum of Industrial Pharmacy marks second anniversary

The Takis Pattichis Museum of Industrial Pharmacy was established in April 2022 by the Charalambos & Elena Pattihis Foundation, and is celebrating its second anniversary. It was named after Takis Pattichis (1927-2016), the founder and “father” of the Cypriot pharmaceutical industry.

Beginning in the 1960s, Pattichis’ vision was to establish the production and export of pharmaceuticals and medicines here in Cyprus. Something that he achieved, and today Cyprus is internationally renowned for, is its pharmaceutical industry.

Pattichis was ahead of his time in terms of his love for technology, always maintaining state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and quality-control laboratories.

Most of the exhibits that adorn the Museum today come from his facilities, and cover a chronological period from the 1960s to the late 2010s.

The Museum is the only one of its kind in the world and hosts an eclectic selection of scientific exhibits related to the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, which are classified into five categories:

1. Production Machinery
2. Laboratory Equipment
3. Weighing Instruments
4. In-Process Controls
5. Books, Manuals & Other Publications

Museum visitors can explore the history of industrial pharmacy in Cyprus, and discover the magic behind the manufacturing of medicines.

The Production Machinery section featured in the Museum covers the manufacture of a range of dosage forms, i.e. tablets, capsules, liquid syrups, dry syrups, gels, creams and ointments. As of this year, along with other additions, a semi-automatic suppository line is on display as part of the Museum’s five-year programme of continuous upgrade and enrichment.

In the Laboratory Equipment section, there are balances, spectrophotometers (ultraviolet / visible light, infrared), chromatographs (high-pressure liquid and gas) and other instruments through which visitors can learn how the quality of medicines is monitored and controlled.

The In-Process Controls section exhibits include micrometres, a tablets and capsules disintegration measuring instrument, as well as a tablet hardness tester and a tablet friability tester.

Meanwhile, extensive reference is made to the evolution of weighing instruments in their namesake section, with exhibits dating more than 100 years old to the modern electronic scale.

In their own dedicated section, visitors can also view the Museum’s fine collection of rare books, handbooks and reference books on industrial pharmacy, as well as on other related subjects, such as chemistry.

Such print material includes official publications containing specifications and methods of analysis of pharmaceutical products, several analytical journals, manuals, various editions of the Good Manufacturing Practice rules, and related books and journals. There are also posters illustrating the manufacturing processes of the various dosage forms.

The main exhibits have descriptions in Greek and English, as well as a QR code that opens a designated webpage with photos and information about each one.

The Takis Pattichis Museum of Industrial Pharmacy is a cultural contribution of the Charalambos & Elena Pattihis Foundation (www.pattihisfoundation.cy) and admission is free of charge.

The Museum also organises annual educational tours for schools, universities and academic institutions, not only from Cyprus, but also worldwide. It offers students interested in pharmacy, chemistry, biology, physics and/or technology and engineering the chance to see first-hand how theory is applied in the professional field.

Located in Limassol’s Old City Centre’s Carob Mill, the Museum is open six days a week, Tuesday to Sunday, with the exception of public holidays.

For more information about the Takis Pattichis Museum of Industrial Pharmacy, visit: www.pattichismuseum.cy.