Nazmul Hassan is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Beximco Pharmaceutical Ltd. (BPL). London Stock Exchange-listed BPL is the leading pharmaceutical manufacturer and the largest pharmaceutical exporter of Bangladesh.

Nazmul Hassan is also the Secretary General of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) for four consecutive terms.

Hassan joined Beximco Pharma on January 1, 1987. During his 20 years of service with BPL, Hassan served in various capacities, namely National Sales Manager, Head of Overseas Business Unit (OBU), Executive Director Commercial, Director Marketing & Commercial etc. Prior to becoming the CEO, Nazmul Hassan was the chief operating officer (COO) of BPL. Nazmul Hassan is the recipient of 'Arthakantha Business Award' in 2001. He also received 'Apnar Shasthya Shammanona Award' in 2002, for extra-ordinary contribution to pharmaceutical export sector of the country. Hassan was also adjudged as the 'Marketer of the Year 2002' by Rapport Bangladesh Limited. The Financial Mirror conferred him with 'Life Time Achievement Award' in 2004.

Hassan details on the key factors driving the Bangla Pharma which is now on take-off mode and how the pharma produces made in the country is gaining acceptance worldover as well as the role of Beximco as the lead player. Excerpts from an e-mail interview with S Harachand:

How's Bangladesh pharma sector getting itself ready for the product patent era which is bound to happen in 2016?
Bangladesh pharmaceutical sector has enjoyed a steady yearly growth of 10 to 15% over the past couple of decades. The recognition and appreciation of the quality products of Bangladeshi companies in various overseas markets helped in increasing the export opportunities from the very beginning. Recently, there came an added opportunity which is provided by the Doha Declaration of WTO/TRIPs agreement under which pharmaceutical companies of Bangladesh can now legally manufacture and export patented products within the LDCs.

But after 2016 this exemption may not be further extended and in that case all WTO member countries may have to follow the product patent rules. To compete in the international market in the patent era leading Bangladeshi companies has already started investing heavily in R&D and they are expected to come up with new molecules before 2016.

Currently, how much of the pharmaceuticals requirement in Bangladesh is met with domestic firms? How soon the industry will turn self-sufficient?
At present 65% of pharmaceutical requirement in Bangladesh is met by the domestic firms. However, almost 95% is met by manufacturers operating in the country, which include some MNCs like GSK, Aventis, Novartis and Roche. The rest 3% which is imported includes specialized products like vaccines, insulin preparations and anti-cancer drugs.

The leading pharmaceutical company, Beximco has already invested in anti-cancer drugs. Some other major companies are also planning to invest in anti-cancer drugs and vaccines facilities which are expected to become operational within next couple of years. So hopefully within next two to three years Bangladesh will be self-sufficient in pharmaceutical sector.

What is the export of pharmaceuticals from Bangla-desh? What is the share of Beximco?
The volume of export from Bangladesh may not be huge. However, it is growing at a faster pace. With the added opportunities thrown open by the Doha Declaration, the volume of export from Bangladesh is expected to take a big leap in next few years.

Bangladesh pharmaceutical industry is successfully exporting its quality products to about 65 countries across four continents. Beximco is exporting a wide range of pharmaceutical products covering all major therapeutic classes and dosage forms. Beside our regular brands, we are also exporting high-tech specialized products like inhalers, suppositories, nasal sprays, injectables and infusions. Apart from our overseas retail customers, we are even supplying to world-renowned hospitals and institutions like Healthway Medical Group, Raffles Hospital and KK Women & Children Hospital of Singapore, Jinnah hospital and Aga Khan Hospital of Pakistan, Mission for Essential Drugs (MEDs) of Kenya and State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) of Sri Lanka. The quality and efficacy of the products being exported from Bangladesh have been well accepted by the doctors, chemists, patients and regulatory bodies of all the importing countries. The packaging and presentation of the products of Bangladesh are comparable to any international standard.

Beximco Pharma is the largest pharmaceutical exporter from Bangladesh. It is the only company in Bangladesh which is awarded 'National Export Gold Trophy' for its excellence in export for record three times. It is the only pharmaceutical company from Bangladesh which is exporting its quality products to Singapore, one of the very stringent markets in Asia Pacific Region. The export operations of Beximco Pharma cover various countries of four continents.

Which are the key segments which Beximco operates in?
Current operations of Beximco Pharma cover both active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished formulations. Our API range covers paracetamol, penicillins, such as, amoxicillin, cloxacillin and flucloxacillin, celecoxib, ciprofloxacin, ranitidine, diclofenac sodium, amlodipine, fluconazole, cephalexin, cetirizine etc. Our finished formulation range covers almost all the major therapeutic groups like allergic disorder, analgesic & anti-pyretics, anti-infectives & anti-retrovirals, anti-cancer, cardiovascular, cough & cold, CNS, anti-diabetic, gastrointestinal, musculo-skeletal, respiratory care, skin care, urinary disorder and gynaecological products. Beside regular dosage forms like tablet, capsule, syrup, suspension, powder for syrup and suspension we are also manufacturing high-tech products like inhalers, sustained release products, suppositories, nasal sprays, injectables and infusions.

Which are the firms in India which Beximco has a liaison with in pharma sector?
Beximco has a very good liaison with the leading pharma companies of India. For example, under the technical collaboration of Aurobindo Pharma of India Beximco pharma has already established a new manufacturing facility to produce both API and finished formulations of penicillins.

Another leading company, namely SMS Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Beximco Pharma have signed an agreement and already started their joint operation in setting up a multi-purpose API plant to produce various active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Beximco pharma has also come to an agreement with Shantha Biotechnics of India to manufacture biotech products in joint collaboration.

Figures indicate that Bangladesh Pharma is currently on the track of rapid growth. Which are the visible trends driving this fast growth?
Bangladesh pharmaceutical industry has always enjoyed a healthy growth over the past few decades, but in recent years the industry has witnessed a very rapid growth. There are several trends which imply this growth, such as, speedy and huge investments by the pharma companies, increased government involvements and initiatives in pharmaceutical sector, heightened disease awareness, rising health service coverage etc.

How do the recent policy initiatives aid the growth of the industry?
With a number of progressive policy initiatives, the Bangladesh government is, for the first time, taking the drug sector into its core industry focus now. The government, which has recently announced three major policy recommendations in the areas of pharmaceutical investment, manufacturing and exports, has considered this sector as one of the growth engines in the years to come.

Realizing the threat of the emerging product patent regime in the API sourcing countries, the government is currently trying hard to encourage the bulk drug production in the country by inviting local and foreign investors to this sector to reduce the high import dependency. Allowing 100 per cent foreign investment in the pharma sector, increasing the foreign export limit for drug exporters and setting up basic infrastructure for pharma companies with proven API technology are the three most important policy decisions the national government has announced for promoting the drug industry in the country recently.

The newly proposed API Park is a key project undertaken by the government to support the local pharmaceutical industry. The project, in which pharmaceutical companies are invited to set up bulk drug units, will hopefully help the country to utilize the least developed country (LDC) status to attract pharmaceutical companies from abroad.

Reports suggest that the spurious drugs are a very serious problem in Bangladesh. Has there been any concerted effort on the part of the industry to curb this, of late?
Though there was a problem with the spurious drugs in Bangladesh in the past, at present there are no such problems. The government of Bangladesh is very sincere in this issue. The government is now controlling spurious drugs with a heavy hand through administrative departments and law enforcement agencies whenever and wherever there is even any minor incidents are reported.

Moreover, currently there is a network of more than 200,000 representatives throughout the country who are working for the pharma companies. They have a very good network and nice rapport with almost all the retailers and wholesalers even in remote regions. They are constantly in touch with the business of these retailers and wholesalers. So these representatives act as a constant vigilance and they are the first to know if there is any case of spurious drugs. Then the companies inform that to the government and government takes every possible measure against the responsible bodies according to the existing laws.