Essential Drugs to produce 13 vaccines

Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) will locally manufacture 13 categories of vaccines including that of coronavirus as it signed a MoU with US-based on Wednesday.
Managing Director of EDCL Dr. Ehsanul Kabir and CEO of Dyadic International Mark Emalferb inked the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a ceremony at the health ministry conference room in Dhaka.
As per the MoU, Dyadic International will provide the state owned pharmaceutical company, EDCL, with necessary technical assistance for vaccine production, storage and quality control in Bangladesh.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Malek was present at the signing ceremony as the chief guest, according to a statement.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the vaccine plant will be set up in Gopalganj on an area of about nine acres - the land has already been acquired.
"More or less 13 types of vaccines including coronavirus will be manufactured here," he said, adding that only five countries in the world can produce vaccines of such a high standard.
The country will be able to export the vaccines manufactured in the plant to the international market after meeting the local demand, he said.
Mr Malek also said the foreign partner will only provide technical, training, and human resource development support to facilitate local manufacturing.

saif.febd@gmail.com