Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, as chief guest, formally inaugurated the Pharma Expo at capital’s Bashundhara International Convention City, being jointly organised by Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) and GPE Expo Private Limited.
The exposition, which will remain open from 10:00am to 6:00pm every day, will end on Saturday.
The expo includes pharma processing and packaging, biotech lab equipment, API manufacturing plants, machineries, pharma formulation and contract manufacturing in which domestic entrepreneurs will be able to know about modern technologies and raw materials for drugs.
The inaugural ceremony was attended, among the others, by BAPI Secretary S M Shafiuzzaman, State minister to Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque, Directorate General of Drug Administration Major General Mustafizur Rahman and BAPI Adviser Salman F Rahman.
Inaugurating the expo, Tofail Ahmed said: “Bangladesh is almost self-sufficient in the pharmaceutical sector thanks to the significant progress the industry made in the last three decades.”
“About 98% of the local demand is being met by domestic manufacturers.”
BAPI Secretary SM Shafiuzzaman said the pharmaceutical sector was “directly contributing to the country’s economic development.”
“We are now exporting to more than 127 countries after meeting 98% of the local demand,” he added.
BAPI Adviser Salman F Rahman said the sector has grown consistently and continues to expand.
“It has matured. There’s a huge demand for medicine in the global market. We could have exported more but the export process is complex and time consuming,” he added.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
