Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain on Wednesday highly praised Nevian’s success in exporting medicines to Canada, noting that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most important sectors for diversifying Bangladesh’s export basket.
“Nevian’s initiative, in partnership with Switzerland-based Sandoz, can serve as a role model for achieving rapid growth in this sector,” he said joining an event virtually.
The event was held at Nevian’s manufacturing plant in Tongi attended by senior government officials, representatives from regulatory authorities, and local public representatives.
Gazipur-2 MP M Manjurul Karim Rony and Gazipur City Corporation Administrator Shawkat Hossain Sarkar, among others, attended the event.
Nevian Life Science PLC (formerly Novartis Bangladesh Limited) celebrated a milestone in Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical export sector by commencing medicine exports to Canada.
The export initiative has begun under a contract manufacturing arrangement with Sandoz AG, world’s no. 1 generic pharmaceutical company headquartered in Switzerland.
In the first phase, Sandoz Canada Inc. is importing multiple pharmaceutical products manufactured at Nevian’s Tongi plant against purchase orders from Sandoz AG, Switzerland.
Under the same agreement, several countries across Europe, North America, and South America under the Sandoz network are expected to be added as future export destinations.
This marks the first time Bangladesh has exported pharmaceutical products to highly regulated North American markets, including Canada, on behalf of a leading multinational pharmaceutical company, said the company.
Nevian’s Managing Director Musawath Shams Zahedee said when we embarked on their journey as Nevian, they pledged to uphold the quality standards of Novartis in Bangladesh.
“Today, through exporting medicines to a country like Canada on behalf of a multinational company, that commitment has been fulfilled. Nevian is now the first company in Bangladesh to engage in multi-country partnership-based contract manufacturing and exports.”
Chairman of Radiant Pharmaceuticals Md Nasser Shahrear Zahedee said that the foundation of Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry was established through the historic Pharmacy Ordinance enacted during the presidency of Ziaur Rahman in 1976, which paved the way for Bangladesh’s self-sufficiency in medicines.
He said the policies and plans introduced by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in 1994 for the development of the pharmaceutical sector would now be reinstated and modernised by the current nationalist government to further advance public health protection and the growth of the pharmaceutical industry.