Pharma cos urged to build capacity

Bangladesh needs to build its capacity by 2018 to cater to the pharmaceutical market the size of which will grow to $ 2.0 billion (200 crore) by then with the demand for biotechnology-based products increasing.
The existing $ 1.4 billion market is growing by 9.2 per cent with new products accounting for 34 per cent of it and in the days ahead it remains a challenge for the local companies to explore and expand the market for biotechnology-based pharmaceutical products.
These were the views expressed by speakers at the Samson H Chowdhury Memorial Conference 2015 on 'Bangladesh Pharmaceuticals Industry and Current Issues' in the city on Saturday.
Salman F Rahman, president of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceuticals Industries (BAPI), moderated the first session on 'Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry--where it is heading towards.'
Key note and panel speakers delivered their speeches on the current problems and prospects of the local pharmaceutical industry in the session.
The speakers emphasised the need for maintaining quality and meet the growing demand for pharmaceuticals at competitive prices.
The panel speakers said the government must help the sector develop a drug testing laboratory, set up a local base for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and more investment in biotechnology.
Aminur Rahman, country director, IMS Health, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as the keynote speaker said the global pharmaceutical market would be a $ 1.3 trillion market by 2018 and Bangladesh could gradually enter the big market.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Muktadir, Secretary, BAPI, said the drug administration lacked the required manpower and the government should recruit people to boost its activities.
Syed Monjurul Islam, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, said his government would provide all necessary supports for developing the pharmaceutical sector.
Major General Md Jahangir Hossain Mollik, Director General for Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) said they were always active in maintaining quality and they were monitoring marketing of more than 100 companies.
Tapan Chowdhury, managing director, Square Pharmaceuticals Limited, said about the recent US FDA team's visit to their factory and they were getting approval for export to the US market.
He said it was a breakthrough for a local company and after achieving the USFDA approval a new horizon would be opened for Bangladesh's pharmaceutical sector.
The second session on 'Advances in molecular biological research & implications for pharmaceutical industries in Bangladesh' was moderated by Dr. Md. Ziaur Rahman, Associate Scientist, Centre for Communicable Diseases, ICDDR,B.
In this session Professor Dr. Zeba Islam Seraj, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dhaka University, was present as the keynote speaker. Among others as panel speakers were Professor Ismail Khan, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Dhaka University, Dr. Syeda Sultana Razia, Department of Chemical Engineering, BUET, and Professor Naiyyum Chowdhury , Chairman, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority.
The speakers in the session emphasised more research and development and adoption of biotechnology-based pharmaceutical bases for future business.
They also said the local pharmaceuticals industries were already investing money in producing biotechnology-based products and a big market was lying ahead as a good number of new biotech products would replace the existing chemical drugs.
They also emphasised bioequivalence tests for several products as in the global market export is becoming competitive with some countries upgrading test facilities.
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