Publication: Public and Private Sector Approaches to Improving Pharmaceutical Quality in Bangladesh
Date
2007-08
ISSN
Published
2007-08
Author(s)
Bumpas, Janet
Kostermans, Kees
Nair, Dinesh
Abstract
Low-cost high-quality drugs benefit
society and improve pharmaceutical company's
competitive edge. This study presents the issues that must
be considered to achieve these common objectives in
Bangladesh. This is not a policy paper outlining exact
recommendations; rather it is a discussion paper which
explores the field and points towards options for Government
and the local industry. Previous efforts to improve the drug
quality in Bangladesh focused without much success on
stricter regulation of the public market. This paper
addresses this issue from a more private sector approach.
The existing quality and price of pharmaceuticals are
analyzed and alternative mechanisms are explored to improve
the quality and cost competitiveness of Bangladesh's
pharmaceuticals domestically and internationally. This paper
also examines two external forces currently impacting
Bangladesh's pharmaceutical sector which can provide
opportunities for change. The first is World Trade
Organization's (WTO)'s Trade Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property (TRIPS), which grants Bangladesh
domestic manufacturing opportunities and limited export
advantages. Pursuing TRIPS opportunities must be carefully
considered for the following reasons: they are time
sensitive, require up-front investments, are likely
influenced by international political pressures, provide
unclear benefits, and China and India, the world leaders in
low-cost pharmaceutical manufacturing, and are still
extremely competitive. This paper concludes with policy and
institutional suggestions for Government to improve the
price and quality competitiveness of Bangladesh's
pharmaceuticals. The recommendations are targeted at
improving the domestic market, increasing export potential
and taking advantage of TRIPS. The conclusions are
preliminary and more analysis is suggested.
Citation
“Bumpas, Janet; Kostermans, Kees; Nair, Dinesh. 2007. Public and Private Sector Approaches to Improving Pharmaceutical Quality in Bangladesh. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36110 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”