Bangladesh has cut its reliance on the global markets for lifesaving vaccines as a number of local manufacturers are producing quality jabs, saving a significant volume of foreign currencies, industry people say.  

Currently, Bangladesh is almost self-sufficient in manufacturing regular and specialised vaccines thanks to the efforts of local manufacturers.

Three local pharmaceutical companies -- Incepta Pharmaceuticals, Popular Pharmaceuticals and Globe Biotech -- are involved in the manufacturing of more than 14 types of vaccines, including those for antivenom, Hepatitis B, inactivated influenza, rabies, tetanus and typhoid.

SM Shafiuzzaman, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (Bapi), says the dependency on the overseas markets for vaccines has reduced in the last one decade as local manufacturers produce quality products.

The dependency on the overseas markets for vaccines has reduced in the last one decade as local manufacturers produce quality products

— SM Shafiuzzaman Secretary-general of Bapi

Md Ayub Hossain, additional director-general of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), echoed Shafiuzzaman.

Both the government and entrepreneurs have given efforts to develop vaccines and reduce import reliance over the decade, said Hossain.

Incepta is the pioneer in vaccine production and has the capability to manufacture 50 crore doses of vaccines every year.

"Bangladesh is about to become self-sufficient in manufacturing vaccines thanks to the efforts of pharmaceutical companies and the government's policy support," said Abdul Muktadir, chairman and managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals.

The pharma giant produces 14 types of vaccines at its plant and has its own research and development wing to develop vaccines.

"We have four vaccines in the pipeline, including one for treating pneumonia in children," Muktadir said.

He says vaccine manufacturing is time-intensive and requires higher investments. "But the return comes slowly, so manufacturers do not feel interested in investing in vaccine manufacturing."

The entrepreneur, however, hopes some companies will enter the vaccine manufacturing segment in the future.

Popular Pharmaceuticals have been manufacturing four types of human vaccines since 2011 to treat tetanus, rabies, Hepatitis B, and human papillomavirus. It has a manufacturing capacity of producing 5 lakh doses of shots per month.

Md Ahsanur Rahman, deputy manager for the vaccine segment at the company, said Bangladesh has not needed to import regular vaccines in the past three years.

The market size of vaccines in Bangladesh is around Tk 100 crore, he said. Besides, the government purchases vaccines worth around Tk 100 crore per year under the arrangement of the Unicef for its EPI (Essential Programme on Immunisation) initiative.

Popular Pharmaceuticals plans to expand its manufacturing facilities in the future to meet the growing demand.

Professor Sitesh Chandra Bachar, dean of the pharmacy faculty at the University of Dhaka, said local pharmaceutical companies are doing well in manufacturing common vaccines.

"Although they are manufacturing the generic version of vaccines, Incepta and Globe Pharmaceuticals have dedicated research and development wings. This is a positive sign of progress made by the pharmaceuticals sector."

Mohammad Mohiuddin, a senior manager of Globe Biotech, says the company has a full-fledged vaccine manufacturing facility.

"We are awaiting government approval to begin vaccine marketing in Bangladesh."

He said the demand for vaccines is increasing in Bangladesh, particularly after the outbreak of Covid-19, as people's awareness level about the benefit of vaccines against the deadly virus has gone up.

"In the past, the government used to provide vaccines free of cost. Now, many people buy vaccines that are administered against various diseases."

For example, many women receive jabs, he said.

DGDA's Ayub Hossain said Bangladeshi vaccines are awaiting World Health Organisation's maturity level 3 certification. "We are hoping to get the approval after enacting the Drug Law."

He said local vaccines have already passed the WHO's quality test twice.

"Once local manufacturers receive the certification, the door for Bangladesh to export vaccines will open."

Bapi's Shafiuzzaman thinks the burgeoning pharmaceuticals sector of Bangladesh has immense potential to tap global opportunities in the vaccine market since the country is increasingly becoming a hub for making medicines.

At least nine companies have already received approvals from highly regulated authorities in the US, the European Union and Australia as well as the WHO.

Bangladesh exports pharmaceutical products to 151 countries, including those in the EU, Africa and Latin America as well as the US, after catering to 98 per cent of the domestic demand.

Foreign sales fetched $188 million in 2021-22, up more than 11 per cent from $169 million a year earlier.