Bangladesh is in the process of revising its national drug policy, according to a recent report on the country's pharma industry.

The reports notes that there is a need to provide support to the GoB in enhancing access to essential drugs through providing advice and creation of awareness among MOHFW officials about the following two issues: (a) The impact of relevant trade agreements and globalisation on access to medicines. Bangladesh, as one of the least developed countries, has a unique position in the region not having to adhere to the TRIPS Agreement until 2016, (b) The impact of price control on production, availability, and access to essential drugs.

There is lack of detailed and publicly available information about this impact. There is a need to provide evidence about the success of pricing control in ensuring essential drugs affordability and whether or not it has made manufacturers concentrate on non-essential drugs.

The Directorate of Drug Administration, the national drug regulatory authority, needs to be strengthened and provided with the necessary financial and human resources. Its responsibly needs to be clarified especially in regulating vaccines and the rapidly commercialised herbal medicine.

Vaccines are produced and imported in Bangladesh under licence granted by the Directorate of Drugs Administration, which is the legal Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA), i.e. the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of drugs and medicine in Bangladesh. It has full control on all aspects of vaccines, like those of any drugs produced and/or imported in the country.

Consequently, the DRA or NRA is the sole authority responsible for controlling and monitoring production and distribution of vaccines in the country as for any drugs produced, imported, distributed and used here. However, because of shortage of trained and qualified personnel the effective control of the vaccine related matters in the country is not that strong.

Thus, strengthening of the Directorate of Drug Administration as the Regulatory Authority for vaccine production in the country needs to be addressed seriously. Enough consultatory, logistic and financial support for this purpose is thus a necessity, suggests the report.

Although the last case of polio in Bangladesh occurred in August 2000, the risk of importation remains high. Ongoing transmission of wild poliovirus in the region suggests that certification cannot occur at least until 2007. High OPV coverage and certification-standard surveillance must continue through certification.