Many types of companies benefit from the unique competitive advantages of Bangladesh. Below are profiles of three such companies.

Beximco Pharmaceuticals

“I believe that Bangladesh is an ideal place for investment because of its

investor-friendly government policies and regulations. The country’s abundant

natural resources and competent human resources make it

an attractive investment portal. For example, the cost of energy in Bangladesh is

one of the lowest in the world. This attractiveness is further

enhanced for specialized business sectors like pharmaceuticals by the availability of

white-collar labour at much lower cost compared to other neighbouring countries”

Nazmul Hassan, Chief Executive Officer, Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited

Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited (BPL) began manufacturing products under license from US and German companies in 1980. It is now one of the largest pharma companies in Bangladesh, supplying 10% of the country’s needs. The company manufactures and markets its own branded generic medicines covering a wide range of diseases including AIDS, asthma, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension.

As the winner of the national export trophy “gold” three times, BPL exports to many countries including Singapore, Kenya and Pakistan.

In 2005, BPL listed on the London Stock Exchange, raising more than $50m. This enabled the company to build a state-of-the-art Oral Solid Dosage factory conforming to international standards (USFDA* and UKMHRA*). The plant is now in operation and BPL has already received TGA* certification for it. BPL expects to start exporting medicines to highly regulated markets in 2009. The new plant also offers opportunities for contract manufacturing from multi national corporations.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, an Indian company, established a sales and distribution operation in Bangladesh in 2001. Taking advantage of the lower manufacturing costs, they started a joint venture in 2004 named Sun Pharmaceutical (Bangladesh) Limited. The company now manufactures drugs in three categories: Central Nervous System, Cardiology, and Gastroenterology – in total 48 products.

Sun Pharmaceutical (Bangladesh) Limited have quadrupled their market size in Bangladesh in just four years and are now exploring opportunities to export products to other least developed countries exploiting the flexibility permitted by TRIPS*.

Novartis

The involvement of Novartis (Bangladesh) Limited in Bangladesh dates back to 1973 when Ciba Geigy (Bangladesh) was registered as a joint stock company.  It then launched researched pharmaceutical products in the Bangladeshi market. In 1979, Ciba Geigy signed a joint venture agreement with the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC).

1986 saw the company introduce ophthalmic products to the Bangladeshi market for the first time. The next watershed was the opening of the state of the art manufacturing plant at Tongi. In the same year, Ciba Geigy introduced its first generic product in the Bangladeshi market, Servipham.

The company began to export its products from Bangladesh in 1995, beginning with Vietnam. In 1997, Ciba Geigy and Sandoz merged to form Novartis (Bangladesh) Limited. The new company introduced its first over-the-counter (OTC) product, Sandocal, that year and discarded industrial chemical products from its product range.

In 2000, Novartis (Bangladesh) Limited became the first pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh to be awarded the EU GMP* certification.

*TRIPs=Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

USFDA=United States Food and Drug Administration

UKMHRA=United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency

TGA=Therapeutic Goods Administration

EU GMP=European Union Good Manufacturing Practices