Producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), raw materials of medicine, is urgent to save the country’s promising pharmaceuticals industry still heavily dependent on imports, industry insiders have said.
“Though the pharmaceutical industry has grown rapidly since 1982 and now meets 98% of the total domestic demand, the country has yet to produce API,” said Md Zia Uddin, chairman of the Active Fine Chemicals Limited.
He said the industry had to import about 97% of API every year for pharmaceutical goods production.
“The potential of the pharmaceutical industry is increasing with the rising demand of drugs. On the other hand, the scarcity of APIs in local industry is getting acute day by day,” said Sheikh Maksudur Rahman, director of API project, ACME Laboratories Ltd.
In such situation, he warned, drug production in the country might face closure within 10 to 15 years.
Referring to a case study, he said production of Renitidine, a drug which had a market worth Tk29 crore in the country and was being shipped to dozens of countries, was about to close because of its API shortage.
“We would import the API from two companies of India, but they suddenly stopped exporting the raw materials,” he said, adding that India and China were competing to grab the global pharmaceutical market.
They came up with the points while addressing a seminar on prospects and challenges of API arranged by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) at the organization’s office in the capital yesterday.
Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chairman Md Sirazul Islam, Director of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) Md Ruhul Amin, former DGDA Director General Major General Dr Jahangir Hossain Mollick and DCCI President Osama Taseer were present in the program, among others.
Mollick said API sector was neglected in the country yet.
“The government initiated a high-tech park for API production in 2008, but we did not see any mentionable progress of the proposed park in 11 years,” he said, informing that the authorities only acquired land for the proposed park.
He, however, suggested that the government complete the construction of the park as early as possible to save the pharmaceutical industry.
On the other hand, the government enacted a policy giving huge facilities to API producing industries but some of its agencies including the revenue board were not implementing their parts yet, said Mollick, calling for necessary measures.
He urged private sector to come forward for investing in API productions.
For local production of APIs, the country needed modern infrastructure, skilled manpower and technical know-how, said DCCI president.
“We should focus on achieving self-sufficiency in quality API production sustainable pharmaceutical sector,” he added, saying that they could run joint-ventures with international firms producing APIs for gather technical experiences.
BIDA executive chairman said that Bangladeshi locally produced medicines cater the 98% of domestic demand and export worth $135 million to 120 countries.
“After 2027, when Bangladesh will become a middle income country may lose existing facilities under TRIPS agreement, but we need to be prepared by this time,” he said, adding that academic and industry collaboration was important in case of research on API productions.
