NCL starts operation next month

The newly-installed high-tech drug testing National Control Laboratory (NCL) is finally going to start its operation next month, officials said.
Though the installation work of the laboratory was completed a year ago, NCL faced a delay in going into operation due to a fire accident.
Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) director Salim Barami, said, "We have informed the health ministry. We will start our operation from January 1, 2014 no matter it is formally opened or not." He said the existing laboratory can test only 3000 medicine samples a year which is not adequate given the current size of the pharmaceuticals market.
Along with the existing testing laboratory, the newly installed lab is likely to test up to 10,000 medicine samples a year, the DGDA official said.
The newly installed NCL would also test vaccines which are still not available in the country.
A DGDA source said currently vaccines, whether imported or locally produced, are tested in Thailand and there is no state controlled facility in the country to test them.
The existing drug testing lab is not equipped with high technology and to solve this problem the government established the new lab at Mohakhali in the city with the financial support of the World Bank (WB) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The DGDA source said the laboratory was all set to start functioning in December last year but a fire incident delayed it.
The fire burnt some equipment of the lab and cables and additional fund was not available on time from the government for repair and replacement.
An official said it is difficult to get fund from the government and a complex process had to be followed for getting it.
A Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceuticals Industry (BAPI) source said the new laboratory would provide high quality test reports for medicines.
NCL bacteriologist Dr. Md. A.B. Siddique said the present state-owned lab is not of international standard but the newly installed one was set up aiming to get WHO accreditation for testing medicines.
He said, "After opening of the NCL we hope it would get WHO accreditation within a year as inspection teams will visit and assess NCL's performance in different phases."
The BAPI source said though the pharmaceutical companies do have their own high tech labs but there is no state-owned facility as per demand of the growing medicine market.
The testing fees have been increased to Tk5000 for existing and Tk15000 for new and high-tech medicines from previous Tk1500 and Tk7500 respectively, a NCL source said.
He also said the NCL would help export growth of medicines from the country.