Leanne Blumenthal

Owner, The GMP Co

South Africa

An independent specialist pharmaceutical consultant with over thirty years post-qualification experience, Leanne has played a pivotal role in the South African pharmaceutical industry and is highly respected in her area of expertise. 

She began her career at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) then founded The GMP Co, offering training and specialised consulting services to leading pharmaceutical companies in South Africa. She provides the South African pharmaceutical industry (State and Private) with comprehensive consulting services across a broad spectrum of industrial pharmaceutical processes – in all areas of operation relating to medicine control, handling, registration and licencing, legislative requirements and all related issues. Her services concentrate mainly on compliancy issues, pre-audit preparations, local and international GMP Inspections / Quality Audits for the various International Statutory bodies, all legislative issues and all technical training.

Leanne played a role in setting up the first “legal” indoor medicinal Cannabis facility in South Africa, and has dedicated several years to researching and engaging with key Cannabis market players, developing a global network of blue chip funders, technical partners and pharma companies in the Cannabis industry. She provides consulting to Regulatory Authorities in different African countries on the Implementation of Cannabis for Medicinal Use Programs as well as the implementation of regulatory frameworks.

Highlights include:

• Nominated and served as an inspector for the South African Pharmacy Council for 18 consecutive years.

• Guest lecturer at University of the Witwatersrand – Wits Medical School, specialising in GMP practises and related international standards.

• Set up pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and attained international GMP accreditation (FDA (USA) and TGA (AUS) ), for these sites.

• Part of a strategic task team that wrote the new (GWP) Good wholesaling Practises Guidelines for the MCC (Medicines Control Council) for pharmaceuticals.

• Nominated onto and serves on the national executive committee of SAAPI (South African Association for Pharmacists in Industry)

• Serves on the Minister of Health’s advisory committee on Cannabis.

• Qualified with a B. Pharm at the University of the Witwatersrand