The government has added 136 more medicines to the essential medicines list, said Professor Dr Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser.
The relevant guidelines were approved at a meeting of the Advisory Council on Thursday.
He shared the information at a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
Professor Dr Sayedur Rahman said that 136 medicines have been newly included in the essential list, and these medicines will be sold at prices fixed by the government. There will be clear instructions and a specific pricing formula. The essential medicines list was first prepared in 1985 and later revised in 1992. This time, a defined formula has been introduced, while the existing markup structure—covering raw materials such as APIs and excipients—will remain unchanged.
He said essential medicines cover treatment for about 80% of common diseases, so price control will improve healthcare access for most people in Bangladesh. He called the decision a landmark move to ensure affordable medicines and reduce long-term healthcare costs.
Regarding the impact on the pharmaceutical industry, he said the interim government has proceeded cautiously and introduced a phased approach, allowing four years for industries to adjust. Price control will be ensured for essential medicines, while around 1,100 other medicines will fall under a proposal-based system by manufacturers.
He said other medicines will follow a median pricing system. If more than seven manufacturers produce a drug, prices must be brought within a 15% range, adjusting by 25% annually over four years. For medicines made by fewer producers, prices will be set using internal and external reference pricing, with final approval by the government under a gazette policy. He added that there are three additional categories as well.
He said implementation is a top priority for the Ministry of Health and will begin during the current government’s tenure. The updated list reflects Bangladesh’s shift from communicable to non-communicable diseases and includes essential medicines for common infections, diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic conditions, though some newer cancer drugs are excluded.
