The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Bangladesh on Tuesday (November 28, 2023) signed a loan agreement for $336.5 million to establish domestic vaccine, therapeutics, and diagnostics manufacturing capacity and strengthen the national regulator to ensure vaccine supply security in Bangladesh. Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary, Economic Relations Division, and Edimon Ginting, ADB country director for Bangladesh signed the agreement on behalf of Bangladesh and ADB, respectively. The vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics manufacturing and regulatory strengthening project will establish a vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostics manufacturing facility and warehousing unit in Essential Drugs Company Limited's (EDCL) existing location at Gopalganj, with a capacity to manufacture 58 million vials of vaccines per year, said the regional development bank. An in-house research and development center will be established to support the production of diagnostic kits and packaging of biosimilar therapeutics. Read: ADB to provide $200 million to promote energy efficiency, transition in Bangladesh It will also support the manufacture of at least two full-cycle vaccines by developing a seed bank, master cell bank, and working cell bank, in addition to at least five fill-and-finish vaccines. “Bangladesh has attained remarkable success in implementing its vaccination programs supported by subsidized vaccines supplied through the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI). As Bangladesh graduates from the Least Developed Country status, the supply of vaccine from GAVI will gradually be phased out,” said Country Director Edimon Ginting.  “This project will help create vibrant ecosystem for vaccine production in the country, ensuring sustainable supply in the medium-term, and at the same time, building Bangladesh’s capacity to manage future pandemics better,” he added. The manufacturing facility will incorporate features to promote gender equality and social inclusion as well as green and resilient production using less energy and materials while reducing waste and carbon missions. The facility will seek certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) for good manufacturing practices (GMPs). The ADB loan will support the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) to upgrade its regulatory capacity to WHO maturity level 3 and beyond. ADB will help strengthen laboratory quality management and regulatory inspection systems while improving testing capacity modalities in compliance with WHO's Global Benchmarking Tool. Read: JICA to help improve Bangladesh’s justice delivery system It will create a stable, well-functioning, and integrated regulatory system; help foster international collaboration and trade; and improve private sector participation in Bangladesh's pharmaceutical industry. The project will help EDCL and DGDA train their staff in essential GMPs, quality assurance, quality control, validation, and calibration programs in compliance with the biosafety levels, according to ADB. The project is financed through ADB’s $9 billion Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility, launched in December 2020 to provide rapid and equitable vaccine-related support to ADB developing member countries. It builds on ADB’s $940 million support to Bangladesh to purchase safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 in June 2021. Read more: ADB provides $90 million for clean water, sanitation services in the Hill Tracts

A Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company has sought permission from the government to import Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. Director General of the Directorate of Health Services Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam made the disclosure to reporters at a programme on Monday. Also read: Intensify efforts to procure vaccines for alternative sources: BNP Without disclosing the name of the company, Dr Bashar said it has submitted an application in this regard to the authorities concerned.   The application and relevant documents have been forwarded to the Directorate General of Drug Administration to scrutinise the company’s capacity to store the vaccine, he said. Also read: Vaccines to be procured at any expense, says PM Hasina “Moderna vaccine needs to be preserved at a very low temperature, which is possible only in Dhaka. We don’t have the capacity to preserve it outside Dhaka.” he added.

The government of Bangladesh on Tuesday (April 27, 2021) approved the emergency use of Russian Sputnik V Vaccine. The approval was given at a meeting of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA). Also read: FM to join China-led virtual meeting on vaccine cooperation After the meeting, Director General of DGDA Mahbubur Rahman said, “Now there’s no legal bar to the import or use of this vaccine. If Bangladesh wants to purchase it, Russia will provide it next month,” he said.  “If everything goes well, this vaccine is expected to be available by May. In the first phase, 40 lakh doses will arrive,” he added. Read US will share AstraZeneca vaccines with world The DG said the DGDA has a 12-member public health emergency committee which examined the efficacy of the vaccine. The vaccine is around 91 percent effective against Covid and its emergency use has been approved considering all these things, he added. Read Will take 2 weeks to get vaccine from alternative sources: FM Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine gives around 92% protection against Covid-19, reported BBC on February 2 this year referring to late-stage trial results published in The Lancet reveal. “The vaccine was approved by Russia and it’s now being used in seven countries of the world. We’ve got all the data about it and we’ve scrutinised it through technical experts,” Mahbub added. Read Vaccine is not the only solution: Quader  Apparently considering its dwindling stock, the government suspended administering the first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from Apr 26.

The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) have cleared Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for use after testing samples of the 5 million doses brought from India on Monday.

Health minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday reassured the people that there won’t be any problem in storing and distributing Covid-19 vaccines.

The government on Thursday approved the emergency use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company Globe Biotech has gotten approval from the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) for manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine for clinical trial.

The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has approved the surgical mask of Minister Hi-Tech Park and permitted its commercial manufacture.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) on Thursday night said the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) did not approve its GR Covid-19 antibody testing kit.