Ready to produce Covid vaccine: BD pharmas

Leaders of Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industries said that the country is ready to produce the Covid-19 vaccine provided they get some technical supports from concerned manufacturers.

They gave the opinion on Wednesday after Bangladesh approved a proposal on producing Chinese and Russian vaccines – Sinopharm and Sputnik V- in the country.

The nod came from a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal.

“With the existing technologies and capacity, some of the Bangladeshi pharmaceuticals can produce Russian and Chinese vaccines but it would take time,” Momenul Haq, advisor of Bangladesh Aushad Shilpa Samity said.

There are about four private pharmaceutical companies, who are manufacturing vaccine and they will be able to produce the Covid-19 vaccine, said Haq.

In producing vaccines with the Russian formula, Bangladesh has to improve and renovate the existing technology, said Haq, also Managing Director of General Pharmaceuticals.

On the other hand, with the vaccine formal the Russian and Chinese company have to provide technical supports and technicians to help the local technician to follow the formula properly, he added.

On top of that, the Bangladesh government will produce the vaccine locally but it would need technical and skill facilities, Haq adds.

Meanwhile, another expert questioned the pattern of the formula.

“It is not possible to produce vaccines with only the formula as we don’t have technicians who have the experience to produce Covid-19 type vaccines,” Md Harunur Rashid, vice president of Bangladesh Aushad Shilpa Samity said.

The Russian and Chinese producers have to provide both formula and technical support, said Rashid, also chairman of Globe Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Last week, Bangladesh inked a Covid-19 vaccine co-production agreement with the Russian government, which agreed to transfer the formula for producing Sputnik V vaccine here.

The issue of producing vaccine locally and importing from Russia and China came under spotlight, when the Indian government stopped supply of earlier promised vaccine of Serum Institute of India (SII).

Bangladesh in November signed an agreement with Serum and its local vendor Beximco Pharmaceuticals for a supply of 30 million doses of oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines.

The country so far received only seven million doses of vaccines from Serum.

The Indian High Commission in Bangladesh in a recent note to the foreign ministry said Bangladesh is unlikely to get more vaccine anytime soon due to raw material shortage.

“It is possible to produce Covid-19 vaccine in line with the Russian formula but first we have to know exactly how it will match it. Secondly, we have to know what are the requirements of them and we have to this end,” Abdul Muktadir chairman and managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals said.

The issue is just on the table. Russian experts’ team will visit and we will be able to learn about the requirements from them. Then, we will be able to talk about the issue in detail, said Muktadir.