Local drug manufacturers and exporters of the country Monday called upon the government to upgrade the quality control laboratory and strengthen the regulatory authority by employing adequate manpower and training.
"We believe if the national regulatory authority is strengthened and the quality testing control laboratory upgraded as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) prescribed guidelines we will be able to export medicine worth US$ 5.0 billion by 2015," said Abdul Muktadir, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries.
He made the call at the 40th annual general meeting (AGM) of the association held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel.
He said last year Bangladesh exported drugs worth US$1.0 billion which can be tripled by next seven years if the small and medium enterprises can also start exporting.
"Export should not be confined to a few big pharmaceutical industries as the demand for our medicine is growing both domestically and internationally because of our low price and high quality. Rather all the small and medium players of the sector should also participate," said Mr Muktadir, also managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Among the LDCs Bangladesh has the highest 24.58 per cent market growth rate in pharmaceutical sector after meeting 97 per cent of local demand and exporting to about 80 countries.
He said the government should recruit and train its manpower at the directorate general of drug administration to qualify local drugs for export and also to modernize the drug testing laboratory to get approval from European drug administration authority which will facilitate large scale export to Europe and USA.
Health minister Ruhal Haque said the government is determined to check and control the bad elements of the sector who manufacture spurious drugs causing harm to people.
Director General of Directorate General of Drug Administration AK Azad said there was shortage of manpower at the drug administration which has been taken care of by recruiting two officers and four inspectors. Moreover, Tk 230 million has been allotted for modernization of the national control laboratory and drug testing laboratory, he added.
BAPI president Salman F Rahman said pharmaceutical industries is the only blue-collar labour intensive industry.
"Large scale export is possible if the quality control and regulatory authority of our country are strengthened and modernized with logistics as the international controlling agencies see the standard of our authority," said Mr Rahman, also vice-chairman of Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BPL).
"We believe if the national regulatory authority is strengthened and the quality testing control laboratory upgraded as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) prescribed guidelines we will be able to export medicine worth US$ 5.0 billion by 2015," said Abdul Muktadir, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries.
He made the call at the 40th annual general meeting (AGM) of the association held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel.
He said last year Bangladesh exported drugs worth US$1.0 billion which can be tripled by next seven years if the small and medium enterprises can also start exporting.
"Export should not be confined to a few big pharmaceutical industries as the demand for our medicine is growing both domestically and internationally because of our low price and high quality. Rather all the small and medium players of the sector should also participate," said Mr Muktadir, also managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Among the LDCs Bangladesh has the highest 24.58 per cent market growth rate in pharmaceutical sector after meeting 97 per cent of local demand and exporting to about 80 countries.
He said the government should recruit and train its manpower at the directorate general of drug administration to qualify local drugs for export and also to modernize the drug testing laboratory to get approval from European drug administration authority which will facilitate large scale export to Europe and USA.
Health minister Ruhal Haque said the government is determined to check and control the bad elements of the sector who manufacture spurious drugs causing harm to people.
Director General of Directorate General of Drug Administration AK Azad said there was shortage of manpower at the drug administration which has been taken care of by recruiting two officers and four inspectors. Moreover, Tk 230 million has been allotted for modernization of the national control laboratory and drug testing laboratory, he added.
BAPI president Salman F Rahman said pharmaceutical industries is the only blue-collar labour intensive industry.
"Large scale export is possible if the quality control and regulatory authority of our country are strengthened and modernized with logistics as the international controlling agencies see the standard of our authority," said Mr Rahman, also vice-chairman of Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BPL).
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