1 hour(s) ago
Star Business Report
The government has formed a National Drug Advisory Council to advise the authorities on implementing the National Drug Policy and developing the country's pharmaceutical sector to ensure the availability of essential medicines.The 22-member council will be headed by Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, according to a circular issued by the Cabinet Division on June 21.The state minister for health and family welfare, the prime minister's special assistant on health affairs, the executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida), the chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), secretaries from various ministries and divisions, academics, and industry representatives have been included in the council.One of the council's key responsibilities will be to publish a new essential drug list and update it every two years, the circular said. The council will meet at least twice a year and will be allowed to co-opt additional members.The development comes within six months of the interim government's update of the National Essential Drug List, which increased the number of medicines to 295 in January this year following recommendations from a taskforce.At the time, the government also announced that the prices of all these essential medicines would be fixed to ensure greater affordability for the public. However, neither were the prices fixed nor was the decision implemented.Asked, Health Secretary Quamruzzaman Chowdhury, who will serve as the member secretary of the advisory council, said they would review the previous list and prepare a fresh essential drug list, considering all relevant factors.When the interim government formed a taskforce to prepare the essential drug list, it did not include any industry representatives, citing the need to avoid conflicts of interest.However, the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) criticised the move, particularly the exclusion of industry representatives from the taskforce.The presidents of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), BAPI, and the Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Society have been made members of the new advisory council.The health secretary said several cases and countercases had been filed over the previous government's move."All necessary procedures and practices were followed to form the council," he added.
