BCSIR signs agreements with pharma giants, icddr,b to boost local drug research
Bangladesh produces nearly 98% of its drugs locally
The Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) has signed service agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) today (6 May) with eight pharmaceutical companies, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and Dhaka International University to enhance indigenous pharmaceutical research and drug development.
The signing ceremony, held at the BCSIR conference room, marks a significant step toward making the country's pharmaceutical sector self-reliant, particularly in the fields of bioequivalence studies, pharmacokinetics and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) synthesis.
The pharmaceutical companies involved in the agreement include Incepta Pharmaceuticals, Square Pharmaceuticals, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, SK+F Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare Chemicals Limited, C2C Pharma, and Unimed Unihealth Pharmaceuticals.
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"An effective partnership between research institutions and the industry is vital to building a technology-driven and internationally competitive industrial sector in the country," said science and technology ministry secretary Md Anwar Hossain while speaking as the chief guest at the event.
Through this initiative, industrial enterprises will be able to significantly reduce the turnaround time for research and testing services and will be capable of receiving necessary scientific assistance in the shortest possible time, he added.
Representatives from the pharmaceutical industry emphasised that while Bangladesh produces nearly 98% of its drugs locally, the country faces significant challenges as it prepares to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status.
Post-graduation, the industry will have to comply with stricter WTO patent regulations under the TRIPS agreement.
"Indigenous research is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity for survival," said Incepta Pharmaceuticals director (technical operations) A A Salim Barami.
"To keep medicine prices affordable for the common man, we must develop our own APIs and generic molecules. Collaborative research with BCSIR's high-tech facilities, such as the 600 MHz NMR, will be crucial," he added.
While presiding over the agreement signing ceremony, BCSIR chairman Samina Ahmed said the primary objective of these service agreements is to make research and testing services more accessible, reliable, and timely, thereby strengthening the international competitiveness of the country's pharmaceutical industry.
A clinical research agreement and a non-disclosure agreement were signed with icddr,b to facilitate clinical research activities, bioequivalence studies, and the expansion of joint research initiatives.
Under the scope of these agreements, the participating institutions will receive priority access to BCSIR's cutting-edge laboratories, advanced analytical infrastructure, high-performance scientific equipment and the specialised knowledge of its expert researchers.
Consequently, companies will be able to benefit from faster and more dependable testing services, analytical method development and validation, quality control of raw materials and finished products, problem-solving research, technical consultancy, and essential documentation support.
