Page 10 - export 08

Export Marketing
is a quarterly journal

floxacin brands range from Taka (Tk) 5 to 14 (US$ 0.07 to 0.20) Self-medication is widespread, and all typesof medicines can be
per unit. The price of dexamethasone eyedrops extends from Tk purchased without a prescription. There are about 30,000 illegal
24to 90 (US$ 0.34 to1.29) per 5ml, and diclofenac eye drops are and 80,000 unlicensed drug stores operating in the country. It
available at a price range from Tk 40 to 200 (US$ 0.57 to 2.86) is alleged that both legal and illegal drug dealers are engaged in
per unit. These are a few of the existing price discrepancies in selling fake, smuggled and adulterated medicines in the country.
the country. Easy excessive profits made pharma companies
reckless and making misleading statements implicating of Dollar R. Domestic drug distribution:
Taka conversion rate as a reason for increase price. As a counter Bangladesh’s drug market place is composed of small indepen-
misinformation, continuously propagating that pharma exports dent pharmacies. This structure combined with an under-reg-
will soon overtake garment export. Present pharma export is not ulated industry, few firms manufacturing pharmaceuticals, and
even 1 percent of total national export. companies competing to sell branded generics based on brand
names provide sample opportunity for the sale of low-quality
Q. Patterns of drug use: drugs at higher prices. And this partly explains why the quali-
To ensure rational and appropriate use of drugs in Bangladesh ty of drugs available for sale varies significantly in Bangladesh.
was another prime concern of the NDP. But there has been no Pharmaceutical firms can sell their products to private sector
drug use study in the country. Clinically in appropriate and in- pharmacies, the government and its public health care facilities,
efficient use of medicines is a serious problem. More than half or to international organizations operating in Bangladesh (e.g.,
the medicines in Bangladesh are inappropriately prescribed, dis- UNICEF). Although there are approximately 200,000 private
pensed or sold. Despite legal prohibitions, numerous drugs with pharmacies in Bangladesh, the government lists officially only
similar or no significant benefits are available in the market. As 76,000 pharmacies. The rest are illegal, without a license or a li-
a specific example, there are seven members of the angioten- censed pharmacist on staff. Pharmacists have varying education
sin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors available in the coun- levels and many lacks adequate training. For example, a visit to
try. The efficacies and chemical structures of these molecules four pharmacies in Dhaka and ten pharmacies in the bordering
are more or less similar, but their price vary significantly. The Gazipur, Narayanganj, Keranigonj and Manikgonj Districts re-
drug policy clearly prohibits the production of multi-ingredi- vealed that each had one professional pharmacist, who had four
ent preparations of vitamins and minerals with the exception of years of coursework; while the two medium-sized pharmacies
B-complex vitamins. But a mixture of 32 vitamins and minerals visited had one person with a year’s training and several un-
including selenium, vanadium, molybdenum, tin and many other trained coworkers, all of whom were working as pharmacists. Ru-
unnecessary ingredients has been marketed in the country for a ral pharmacies may have pharmacists with high school education
few years, violating the principles of the NDP. The need for these and approximately two weeks training. The Bangladesh Pharma-
trace elements in Bangladesh is not established whereas nutri- cist Society is currently implementing the first phase of a three-
tional deficiencies are mainly related to vitamins A and B-com- phased program to improve skills of pharmacists. The program
plex, iron, calcium, iodine and zinc. Irrational prescription and should be completed in seven to eight years. Most pharmacies
use of antibiotics are rampant throughout the country, with an are individual shops, though some chains are starting to develop,
estimated half of all antibiotics being sold without prescriptions. especially in urban areas. Large pharmacies visited reported buy-

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