Bangladesh Drug Policy Controls Row

Major pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh are demanding the withdrawal of controls on manufacture and pricing of products under the 1982 policy which, the Marketletter's local correspondent notes, has worked well to the advantage of industry and consumers.

A report from Dhaka quotes the president of the Bangladesh pharmaceutical industry association as saying that controls on raw material imports are blocking the future growth of the industry. His demand has been supported by the country's former finance minister, Saifur Rahman, who is now a member of the opposition. Mr Rahman's argument is that drug prices should be freed from government control and determined by the market.

Supporters of the 1982 policy argue that, if discarded, this would lead to manipulation of prices by manufacturers, making essential drugs unaffordable for the population, which is one of the poorest in the world. Only a fifth of Bangladesh's 120 million population has access to modern health care.