60% of essential medicines no longer being produced

Production of 60 per cent of the 117 medicines on the country’s essential medicines list has currently been suspended. Private pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to manufacture these medicines due to complications over price adjustments.

The information was disclosed at a discussion meeting with the Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum (BHRF) at the office of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Monday (August 24).

At the meeting, BAPI leaders also called for the government-owned Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) to be given responsibility for producing essential medicines.

According to BAPI, although the essential medicines list prepared in 1994 contains 117 medicines, 19 companies did not obtain registration to manufacture these medicines. Currently, only 40 percent of the essential medicines are being produced, while production of the remaining 60 percent has been suspended. Pharmaceutical industry owners said the main reason is the failure to adjust prices.

They said prices of essential medicines have been adjusted only twice since the list was introduced. Under such circumstances, it is difficult for private companies to produce many essential medicines and remain viable in the market. Therefore, EDCL should play a larger role in producing and supplying these medicines.

Mohammad Halimuzzaman, current secretary-general of BAPI and chief executive officer (CEO) of Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Limited, said the essential medicines list needs to be updated in line with current needs. “We are not opposed to having such a list. However, our demand is that it should be prepared with the participation of experienced professionals and stakeholders from all sectors. At the same time, the quality of these medicines must be ensured and they must remain affordable for the public,” he said.

He said it is difficult for private companies to remain viable in the market by producing essential medicines. Of the 117 essential medicines listed in 1994, only a small number are currently being produced. Many of these medicines are not economically viable to manufacture. Therefore, where possible, the government could consider producing these medicines through EDCL and distributing them to the public at affordable prices, or even free of charge.

At the meeting, BAPI Senior Vice-President and Chairman of Unimed Pharmaceuticals Md Mosaddek Hossain said Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry needs to be protected. Very few countries in the world have achieved self-sufficiency in pharmaceutical production, and Bangladesh is one of them. Bangladesh is also competing in the international market for pharmaceutical exports, particularly in direct competition with India.

“If the country’s pharmaceutical industry is harmed, foreign companies may take over that market share. Therefore, policies that could put the domestic pharmaceutical industry at risk should not be adopted,” he said.

At the discussion, BAPI leaders urged the government to adopt balanced policies to ensure the availability of essential medicines while supporting the growth and competitiveness of the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

BHRF General Secretary Mujahid Shuvo said, “We want to sit with every stakeholder in the pharmaceutical sector to address the crisis. Once the problems are identified, solutions can also be found.”

-MT