News Flash
DHAKA, Jan 8, 2026 (BSS) - The Advisory Council at its weekly meeting today approved guidelines on the National Essential Drugs List and Drug Price Determination aimed at making medicines more affordable and accessible for the general people.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus chaired the meeting at his office in the city's Tejgaon area this morning.
"Under the newly approved guidelines, the Essential Drugs List has been significantly expanded. While the earlier list covered fewer drugs, the updated list now includes 195 essential drugs, with 136 new drugs added," Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Professor Dr Md Sayedur Rahman said.
He was addressing a press briefing on the matter at the Foreign Service Academy here this afternoon.
During the advisory council meeting, Dr Sayedur Rahman said, further proposals were made to include one additional medicine, potentially raising the number to 296 core essential drugs under strict price control.
The historic National Drug Policy of 1982 had played a crucial role in making Bangladesh self-reliant in pharmaceuticals and improving access to medicines for common people, he said, adding, all medicines were under price control until 1994.
In 1994, out of roughly 350 medicines in the market, only 117 drugs were under price-control, the special assistant said, adding, this system remained unchanged for nearly 30 years, during which the number of non-controlled medicines expanded sharply.
Noting that nearly two-thirds of total health expenditure in Bangladesh is spent on medicines, largely as out-of-pocket expenses, he said unlike many countries, Bangladesh does not have a national health insurance system, pharmaceutical benefit scheme, or Medicaid-type coverage.
As a result, state intervention in drug pricing became essential to protect citizens from rising costs, Dr Sayedur Rahman said, adding, considering this concern of the people, the interim government took the initiative to formulate the guidelines on drug pricing.
Under the new guideline, he said, all medicines on the essential list will be sold at government-determined prices, based on a revised and clearly defined pricing formula while the essential medicines, by definition, are sufficient to treat around 80 percent of common diseases affecting the people.
The price regulation of these medicines is, therefore, expected to have a direct and positive impact on healthcare access for nearly 80 percent of the country's people, the special assistant said, adding, manufacturers selling above the fixed price will be required to gradually adjust downward, while those below may adjust upward within the approved framework.
To address concerns about the impact on the pharmaceutical industry, he said, the government has adopted a phased implementation approach.
Companies will be given up to four years to align with the new pricing structure, allowing them time to adapt without sudden disruption, Dr Sayedur Rahman said, adding, outside the essential drugs list, approximately 1,100 medicines will remain under a regulated system while these medicines will be sold at price capped with a range.
He described the decision as a landmark and transformative reform, noting that it is the result of more than 14 months of consultations involving a dedicated task force, pharmaceutical manufacturers, marketers, pharmacists, physicians, scientists, consumer groups, and international organizations including the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
While acknowledging that complete consensus among all stakeholders was not possible, Dr Sayedur Rahman said that the policy reflects broad consultation and careful balancing of public interest and industrial sustainability.
The special assistant said the guidelines will come into effect soon within the tenure of the interim government following completion of required government procedures.
Noting that currently, the Drug Price Fixation Committee will oversee the implementation of the guidelines, he said, in future, the government plans to establish an independent National Drug Pricing Authority, separate from the existing Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA).
This body will focus exclusively on drug price benchmarking, global reference pricing, and market monitoring, Dr Sayedur Raman said.
"This decision will translate decades of industrial success in pharmaceuticals into real health benefits for the people," he said, adding, "Medicine prices should never be a barrier to access. With this reform, that barrier will steadily diminish."
Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Deputy Press Secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were present at the briefing.
