One Pharma Ltd, a Bangladeshi company which already exports medicine for illnesses associated with cancer to neighbouring Myanmar and Afghanistan, is now planning to grab a slice of the growing market in Algeria.

Exporting drugs to a highly controlled market like Algeria requires overcoming several challenges, Chief Technical Officer Ishtiaq Ahmad told journalists invited on a visit to its factory in Bogura.

The company is going to embark on the process of getting approvals from the authorities concerned, and its managing director has already met Algerian Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdelouahab Saidani, he said.

"We produce different therapeutic classes of medicines, including biosimilar and anticancer drugs," he added.

The products, numbering around 130, include those used to treat cardiovascular disease, antibiotics, antidepressants, antiulcerants, vitamins and minerals, cough and cold remedies, antihistamines, and antifungals.

Regarding the potential of the company, which was established in 2015, he said it produces seven anticancer drugs, of which those for lung cancer and breast cancer are already available in Bangladesh.

In 2024, the company generated revenues of around Tk 200 crore. Its exports to Afghanistan amount to $2 million and to Myanmar $50,000.

Drugs used to treat cancer and those related to biotechnology sell the most, for which the company is focusing on these types of products, he said.

Nazmun Naher, chairman of One Pharma, was present.