PAILL, a Salvadoran female-founded pharmaceutical company, grew from 6 to more than 1200 collaborators in 30 years. Today PAILL exports a variety of pharmaceutical products throughout the Central American and Caribbean region, using trademarks and licensing agreements. It is also recognized as one of the leading companies in the country thanks to both its economic performance as well as its public image built around PAILL’s corporate social responsibility efforts.
Founding PAILL Laboratories
PAILL Laboratories (PAILL) is a cutting-edge pharmaceutical company based in El Salvador. Although the pharmaceutical industry has traditionally been male-dominated, PAILL was founded by Concepción Contreras, a woman, in 1992. By 1993, the company was producing and commercializing sterile pharmaceutical products with such efficiency and quality that in 1997 it introduced its products to other countries in the Central American region.
PAILL’s pharmaceutical products range
PAILL produces a wide range of over-the-counter and prescription products contained within two broad categories - sterile and non-sterile. Some of its most successful range of sterile goods include parenteral solutions, ointments and eye-solutions. The PAILL plant also manufactures and packages non-sterile products such as tablets, creams, oral solutions, capsules and powders.
PAILL: second-largest exporter of pharmaceuticals in Salvador
PAILL exports to Central America and the Caribbean, including countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, among others. In 2024, PAILL was recognized for the third consecutive year as the second-largest exporter in the pharmaceutical sector by the Salvadoran Association of Industrialists (ASI)’s Industrial Exporters Ranking. The award, recognizing PAILL’s contribution to the economic and social development of the country through production, export, and innovation, was based on PAILL’s export growth during 2023.
Research and Development at PAILL
PAILL recognizes the importance of investing in modern research and development (R&D) infrastructure to produce high-quality products that meet customer needs and stay innovative, ensuring the company’s profitability. In 2000, the company constructed its second production plant for pharmaceutical products. Its laboratories are equipped with cutting-edge technology for the formulation, development and improvement of a variety of trademarked pharmaceutical products.
However, infrastructure is not everything: without a culture of innovation, even PAILL’s skilled lab staff wouldn’t be able to develop the products that keep up with industry trends. That is why, PAILL’s R&D department also deals with promoting innovation through its ideas-development-program. With such focus on innovation, PAILL Laboratories won the WIPO Trophy for Innovative Enterprises in 2002.
Moreover, PAILL is eager to collaborate with others – for the benefit of both parties and the society of El Salvador. For example, in 2022, the company signed a collaboration agreement with the Universidad Salvadoreña Alberto Masferrer (USAM) to promote scientific development and academic growth in the national pharmaceuticals industry. The initiative includes scholarships, internships, and the opportunity for USAM students to conduct research with PAILL’s support.
Quality assurance at PAILL
To make sure that the R&D department produces the drugs and products to a standard that industry requires and customers demand, PAILL regularly consults suppliers of pharmaceuticals and implements industry standards to streamline its supply and demand processes.
The company has a quality assurance department, equipped with sophisticated high-precision analytical technology that performs a variety of tests as required by the industry standard for medical products.
Respecting industry standards at PAILL
The company’s laboratories are equipped for sterile manufacturing and packaging, following strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) – a quality control system implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) covering the manufacturing and testing of active pharmaceutical products. Part of the company’s Quality Management System is to ensure compliance and implementation of GMP guidelines. PAILL has developed its own GMP guidelines which include having adequate facilities for processes, scheduled self-inspections, and installing an efficient documentation system, all done with the single aim of avoiding errors and cross-contaminations while allowing for the traceability of all processes, and establishing a cycle of quality in all its laboratories.
To gain consumer confidence, enhance its international reputation and maintain competitive advantage over its rivals, PAILL has also incorporated industry-recognized, international certification standards for its products. In 2004 PAILL Laboratories became the first Salvadoran pharmaceutical company to receive ISO 9001 certification. With ISO standards now integral to its processes, the laboratory offers customers and clients a wide range of certified drugs. Due to its ISO 9001:2000 certification, PAILL provides further services as a maquiladora - manufacturing for clients in other countries.
Creating a new culture of quality control in El Salvador
Managers across several companies in El Salvador, including PAILL, collaborated with several national institutions, such as the Directorate of Quality and Technology (DCTec), the National System of Innovation, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), to create a new culture of quality control in the country’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This collaboration supports companies that implement quality control initiatives. For example, the ISO certifications of three companies – PAILL, Fardel and Condusal – required an investment of US$ 1. 2 million, of which US$ 700,000 came from the IADB and US$ 400,000 from of the Salvadoran government.
PAILL – an Impact Company 2024
PAILL is a company that stands out not only for its business growth, but also for its social impact. In 2024, PAILL was recognized as an "Impact Company" by Revista Derecho y Negocios for its achievements in promoting sustainability and advancing initiatives that contribute to a better future in El Salvador. The award was received by Carolina Escobar de Fiallos, PAILL's director.
PAILL’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program called This is How We Build Tomorrow contributes to society in many fields, from education to climate change reduction to women’s empowerment. Through its CSR program, PAILL also takes part in two global initiatives: UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact.
PAILL: a Great Place to Work
PAILL sees its employees as fundamental to maintaining its competitive advantage and progress. In 2024, the company was recognized as one of the best workplaces in El Salvador by Great Place to Work® (GPTW) of Central America and the Caribbean. The certification was based on an evaluation of workplace culture, with over 80% of employees expressing pride in being part of the organization.
Since 2017, PAILL has partnered with the Fundación Empresarial para el Desarrollo Educativo (FEPADE) to award scholarships to the children of its employees through the Edubecas program. Over the first 6 years of the program, the company has funded 340 scholarships with an investment of over $100,000.
PAILL’s initiatives for women’s empowerment
Female-founded (by Concepción Contreras) and now female-led (by Carolina Escobar de Fiallos), it is no wonder that PAILL takes gender parity seriously. The company proudly states that it has 55% women in leadership positions, but women’s empowerment is an issue that PAILL addresses outside of the company as well. For example, in 2021 PAILL has partnered with Plan International El Salvador under the initiative Girls with a Plan to support young women from vulnerable communities by providing menstrual hygiene kits and educational workshops covering health, self-esteem, and violence prevention.
In 2024, for the second consecutive year, PAILL hosted Women of Impact awards on the International Women’s Day, honoring 40 women of El Salvador. The 40 female leaders awarded by PAILL represented diverse sectors including government, private industry, non-profits, and international organizations, and were recognized for their contributions to social, economic, and sustainability projects that benefited their communities.
The founder of PAILL, Concepción Contreras, also received an Iconic Woman 2022 award from the Salvadoran Industrial Association (ASI). This honor recognized Contreras’ leadership in advancing the pharmaceutical industry and her dedication to creating opportunities for women.
PAILL’s international trademarks
Central to PAILL’s corporate philosophy is the knowledge that economic growth and competitiveness is always twinned with innovation. An active user of the intellectual property (IP) system and particularly the WIPO Madrid system for international trademark production, PAILL has protected its brands in El Salvador and other countries. As of 2024, PAILL has active international trademarks in Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, and the United States of America.
To gain customer brand loyalty while sowing the seeds for future investments and innovations, the company now has a wide range of branded goods in its IP portfolio including Sudagrip, Mesilar R, Forsfoneruromax, Orfenaflex-D, Sucrassyl and Argesyl.
The name of the company – PAILL – is also registered as a trademark and protected in several countries, including El Salvador, the USA, and Costa Rica.
Licensing of PAILL’s IP assets
With the increasing growth of the markets in Central and North America, PAILL has expanded its business partners and now has licensing agreements with major clients in the region. Among the company’s 23 distributors (as of 2024) are Grupo de Haseth in Panama, Disprofar & CIA LTD in Nicaragua, and others in Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Beliz. PAILL is not only a significant company in El Salvador; its growing market reach is now extending across the Americas.
