State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit addressed a roundtable at a city hotel. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Aug 16, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit today said a ‘national strategy’ will be formulated soon to take the country’s pharmaceutical industry to the next level and achieve self-sufficiency in biosimilar and vaccine production.

“The government is committed to building a knowledge-based economy and will provide all necessary policy support for the development of the sector and creation of high-quality employment,” he said.

The state minister made the remarks while addressing a roundtable titled “From Generics to Biosimilars and Vaccines: Developing Bangladesh’s Biopharmaceutical Sector on the Path to a Bio-Economy” at a city hotel this morning. 

The event was organized by BioTED Somru Bioscience, with Genex as the supporting organization.

Dr Muhit said the country’s pharmaceutical sector has developed through a long historical process. “This is the time to transform it into advanced areas such as biosimilars, vaccines and biotechnology. It cannot be viewed solely from the perspective of health security; rather, it must be seen through the lens of the bio-economy as a major driver of the national economy,” he said.

He said that within the next 3-5 years, the country must establish basic infrastructure for biopharmaceutical and vaccine research maintaining proper quality and international standards. 

The new transformation will require around 10,000 trained and skilled human resources. The government is prioritizing not only general employment but also high-end employment centered on science and research, he said.

He said Contract Research Organizations (CROs) will be established and the country’s own research capacity in biosimilars will be strengthened.

The state minister also assured that government initiatives would be taken to establish “shared facilities” or centralized laboratory facilities for industry entrepreneurs and researchers.

On opportunities for young researchers, he said practical measures have been taken to strengthen the capacity of research institutions through the health sector budget, establish molecular biology laboratories, and increase open and competitive research funding for young researchers through the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Icddr,b Chief Executive Dr Tahmid Ahmed, BioTED Chief Executive Saugatul Islam, BMRC Director Dr. Kazi Saifuddin Bennur, Genex Health Managing Director Dr. Munia Amin, Unimed Uni Health Managing Director Mossadek Hossain, Jahangirnagar University Treasurer Professor Sohel Rana, among others, were present.