Bangladesh, a country that was hitherto known for its traditional sectors like textiles and jute in the business world, has never been considered even for its likely contributions to the knowledge-based industry sectors like drugs and pharmaceuticals. Today, this country is boasting of a pharma industry output worth US $ 344 million annually with direct export trade with as many as 27 countries. After tobacco, pharmaceutical is the second largest revenue generating industry in Bangladesh.
The Drug Control Ordinance of 1982 actually altered Bangladesh pharma industry from an import based one, to self-sufficiency and export-based economy. With an annual turnover of more than US $ 344 million, Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry has a consistent growth rate of 22 per cent. The expected turnover of the industry by the year 2005 would be over US $ 862 million. While currently exporting Pharmaceuticals to 27 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Africa, Bangladesh also exports its products to neighbouring Asian markets of Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Local companies dominate the taka 2500-crore pharma industry in Bangladesh with about 10 MNCs still operating there. Market share of the domestic industry is almost 70 per cent. The top 15-20 companies including the MNCs practically control 90 per cent of the domestic market, leaving little of the rest to be shared among the 100 plus companies. The major companies have adequate facilities to produce tablets, capsules, injectibles, liquids, suspensions, sustained release dosage forms, dry powders metered dose inhalers, sterile ophthalmic formulations, creams and ointments.
The major bulk drugs that it produces include paracetamol, diclofenac, ampicillin and amoxycillin among others. Imports constitute about five per cent, which includes finished formulations like vaccines, latest anti-diabetics and anti-cancer drugs.
Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd at TK 400 crore (14 per cent market share) and Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd at TK 260 crore (12 per cent market share) are by far the largest companies at number one and two positions respectively in Bangladesh. Both the companies have international GMP compliant manufacturing facilities. There are other mid-sized companies like Orion, Acme, ACI, Albion, Eskayef, Incepta, and JMI Bangla with a turnover ranging from TK 25 to 60 crore.
Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI), the apex and premier pharmaceutical trade and promotion body of Bangladesh represents more than 200 pharmaceutical manufacturers of the country. The BAPI members contribute to around 97 per cent of the country's pharmaceutical production. With a turnover of 20,000 million taka at an annual growth rate of 22 per cent, the industry here expects a business of about 50,000 million taka by the year 2005.
According to S M Shafiuzzaman, president, BAPI since 1972 the Association has been the only recognized association for pharmaceutical manufacturers in Bangladesh playing pivotal role in the development of pharmaceutical sector.
Looking at the pharma scenario of Bangladesh, the future looks promising with a high potential as the National Drug Policy of Bangladesh encourages the local production of raw materials and bulk drugs within the country and offers extensive opportunities in this direction. "At present, our major focus is on increasing our bulk drug manufacturing capacity and the technology to attain self sufficiency. On the formulation front, our industry has achieved substantial growth by now. So that, we are even capable of catering to other markets including regulated markets besides domestic demand," he adds.
Revealing the future plans on spearheaded development and growth, the BAPI president also added that Bangladesh has all the potential to become a major global source for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), as based on the Doha declaration, the country will also be able to produce drugs until 2016 which are still under patent protection. This will require participation from many local as well as foreign companies where every stakeholder will benefit of vast potential that Bangladesh can offer. The local entrepreneurs are capable and willing to invest and collaborate with suitable foreign partners in order to, further develop the existing API manufacturing facilities.
On the primary healthcare front, Bangladesh has covered many miles on the road toward reduced fertility and childhood mortality in its first three decades since Independence in 1971. It is the only country among the 20 poorest that has recorded a sustained reduction in birth rates over the past 15 years. On average, in the 1990s women had 3.3 births one-half the number in 1974. Infant mortality has dropped from about 140 to 88 per 1,000 live births. The government's strategy is now directed toward reducing the high levels of maternal illness and deaths, tackling malnutrition, and consolidating and sustaining the gains already made.
Bangladesh's National Drug Policy locally known as Gono-shasthaya Kendra (GK) was set up in 1981 as a centre to train health workers, especially women, to provide care in rural Bangladesh. GK also includes a university, a hospital and a generic drug-manufacturing factory. "Gonoshasthaya Kendra means "people's health centre" in Bengali. It was started with two objectives. First, we realized that the fate of the poor decides the fate of the country. If the poor do better, the country does better; if the poor are going down, then the country goes down. Second, we felt that the development of the country is linked to women's position in the country.