The government has formed an 11-member committee to strengthen and promote the pharmaceutical raw material (API) industry in the country. Health Secretary Saidur Rahman has been appointed as the committee’s chairperson. The committee is tasked with preparing a clear action plan for the sector’s development and submitting a report to the government within one month.

The announcement was made in an official order signed on Sunday (August 17) by Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Health.

The order states that the committee has been formed based on recommendations from the Health Reform Commission and as part of the government’s export diversification strategy.

Committee members include representatives from Bangladesh Bank, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Directorate General of Drug Administration, the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Dhaka University, a representative from the Department of Applied Chemistry at Jahangirnagar University, and two representatives from the Bangladesh API and Intermediates Manufacturers Association.

Committee Responsibilities

• Develop strategic policies to increase domestic production of pharmaceutical raw materials
• Coordinate the implementation of Health Reform Commission recommendations and the export diversification strategy
• Identify regulatory, financial, and technical obstacles and provide recommendations to overcome them
• Design a sustainable incentive framework, including refinancing, reclassification, customs and VAT exemptions, and export support
• Ensure effective coordination among government and private stakeholders
• Monitor sectoral progress against set targets and provide necessary policy guidance

The government expects the committee’s recommendations and action plan to strengthen the country’s API industry, making it self-reliant and export-oriented.