Tanvir Sajib, director (specialty care), Sanofi, addresses a roundtable organised by the Department of Pharmacy of BRAC University on its Mohakhali campus in the capital on 25 September 2018 as part of programmes observing World Pharmacists Day.
Some 20 out of around 270 registered pharmaceuticals in Bangladesh dominate around 85 percent of the market share solely due to their dedication to quality, said representatives of top drug makers at a roundtable at BRAC University (BRACU).
Products must not only have quality but also be available so that consumer trust can be earned while it does not matter whether a multinational or local entity was producing it as long as the market’s quality specifications were being met, they said.
A World Health Organization report stated that a lack of knowledge on preservation temperatures, especially of insulin and vaccines, led to complications in 50 percent of patients, said the representatives.
They emphasised the need for both private and public hospitals alongside drug stores to have their own certified pharmacists, they added.
The speakers, representing Globe Pharmaceutical Group of Companies Ltd, Sanofi, Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd, ACI Limited and Novartis, expressed high hopes for the industry to start exporting active pharmaceutical ingredients within five years.
They noted that pharmaceuticals were the second largest export revenue generator next to readymade garments.
The roundtable was a part of daylong programmes organised by the Department of Pharmacy of BRACU on its Mohakhali campus in the capital on 25 September 2018 in observance of World Pharmacists Day bearing the theme “Pharmacists: Your medicines experts”.
The department took on its own theme, “How to Ensure Quality Pharmaceutical Products?”. Professor Eva R Kabir, PhD, head of the department, inaugurated the programme, giving an overview of the department and expressing hope that BRACU students would make a difference in society and continue to inspire excellence.
A booth was set up showcasing various healthcare services along with patient counselling services of BRACU’s Counseling Unit while students debated on the topic “All medicine in the future should be personalised”.
A seminar was organised later in the day on “The Need and Potential Impact of Pharmacovigilance in Bangladesh”.
The event was sponsored by Beximco Pharma, Duncan Brothers (Bangladesh) Limited, Beacon Pharmaceuticals Limited, Popular Pharmaceuticals Limited and ACI Limited.