Criteria Of Drug Policy Of Bangladesh,1982:
1.The combination of an antibiotic with another antibiotic or antibiotics with corticosteroid ,or other active substances will be prohibited.
The manufacture in liquid form of antibiotics harmful to children(e.g. tetracycline)will not be allowed.
2.The combination of analgesics in any form is not allowed as there is no therapeutic advantage and it only increases toxicity,especially in the case of kidney damage.The combination of analgesics with iron, vitamins or alcohol is not allowed.
3.The use of codeine in any combination form is not allowed as it causes addiction.
4.In general, no combination drugs will be used unless there is absolutely no alternative single drug available for treatment or if no alternative single drug is cost-effective for the purpose.
Certain exceptions will be made in the cases of eye,skin,respiratory and haemorrhoidal preparations,co-trimaxazole,oral rehydration salts,antimalarial,iron-folic etc.,as well as certain vitamin preparations, allowing combinations of more than one active ingredient in one product.or alcohol is not allowed.
5.Vitamins should be prepared as single ingredient products with the exception of B complex.Members of vitamin B complex,with the exception of B12,may be combined into one product.B12 should always be produced as a single ingredient injectable product.Other members of B complex may also be produced as a single ingredient product(e.g.B1,B2,B6,etc).The combining of vitamins with any other ingredient such as minerals ,glycerophosphate etc.,will not be allowed.Vitamins may be produced in tablet,capsule and injectable form only.
No liquid forms will be permitted because of wastage of financial resources and the tremendous misuse involved.However,the manufacture of paediatric liquid multivitamins (with no B12,E,K and/or minerals)will be allowed in bottles of 15 ml size with droppers.The manufacture of paediatric liquid preparations of single ingredient vitamins will also be allowed in bottles of up to 15 ml with droppers.
6.No cough mixtures,throat lozenges,gripe water,alkalis,etc. should be manufactured or imported as these are of little or no therapeutic value and amount to great wastage of our meagre resources.
7.The sale of tonics ,enzyme mixture/preparations and so-called restorative products flourish on consumer ignorance.Most are habit forming and,with the exception of pancreatin and lactase,these are of no therapeutic value.Henceforth,local manufacture or importation of such products will be discontinued.However,pancreatin and lactase may be manufactured and/or imported as single ingredient products.
8.Some drugs are being manufactured with only a slight difference in composition from another product but having similar action.This confuses both patients and doctors.This will not be allowed.
9.Products of doubtful,little or no therapeutic value and rather sometimes harmful and subject to misuse,will be banned.
10.All prescription chemicals and galenical preparations not included in the latest edition of the British Pharmacopeia or the British Pharmaceutical Codex will be prohibited.
11.Certain drugs,in spite of known serious side-effects and the posibility of misuse,may be produced in limited quantity for restricted use if the risk:benefit ratio is favourable.These will be prescribed by specialists only.
12.The importing of a drug which is the same as one produced in the country,or a close substitute for it,may not be imported,as a measure of protection for the local industry.However,if local production is far short of need,this condition may be relaxed in some cases.
13.A basic pharmaceutical raw material which is locally manufactured will be given protection by disallowing it or its substitute to be imported if sufficient quantity is available in the country.
14.The role of multinationals in providing medicine for this country is acknowledged with appreciation.In view of the calibre of machinery and technical know-how which lies in their hands for producing important and innovative drugs for the country,the task of producing antacids and vitamins will lie solely with the national companies,leaving the multinationals free to concentrate their efforts and resources on those items not so easily produced by smaller national companies.Multi-nationals will,however,be allowed to produce injectable vitamins as single ingredient products.
15.No foreign brands may be manufactured under license in any factory in Bangladesh if the same or similar products are available/manufactured in Bangladesh,as this leads to unnecessarily high prices and payment of royalties.In the light of this policy,all existing licensing agreements should be reviewed.
16.No multinational company without their own factory in Bangladesh will be allowed to market their products after manufacturing them in another factory in Bangladesh on a toll basis.
The Formation Of The Expert Committe,1982 Policy :
On 27 April 1982,the Military Government appointed an eight member Expert Committee to review the drug situation in the country and make recommendations for a National Drug Policy consistent with the health needs of the country.
The members of the Expert Committee were:
1.Professor Nurul Islam (Chairman) ,Professor of Medicine ,Director of the Institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research(IPGMR) and Dean of Postgraduate Medicine at Dhaka University.
2.Dr.Humayun K.M.A Hye ,Director of Medical Education and Hospitals , a pharmacologist and formerly Director of the Drug Administration.
3.Professor M.A.Mannan , a pharmacologist who later became the Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University.
4.Professor Mobrak Ali ,Director of the Institute of Ophthalmology, Dhaka.
5.Professor M.Q.K. Talukdar ,Associate Professor of Paediatrics ,IPGMR.
6.Dr.Azizur Rahman ,Surgeon and President of the Bangladesh Private Medical Practitioners Association, Dhaka.
7.Dr.Zafrullah Chowdhury ,Surgeon ,health activist and Projects Co-ordinator of Gono
shasthaya Kendra,Savar,Dhaka.
8.Dr.Nurul Anwar (Member Secretary) ,pharmacologist, pharmaceutical chemist and Director of the Drug Administration. Source: The Politics Of Essential Drugs By-Dr.Zafrullah Chowdhury
Objectives of Drug Policy,1982:
The Expert Committee proposed a national drug policy whose main objectives would be:
1. To provide administrative and legislative support for ensuring quality and availability of essential drugs which are of relevance to the health needs of the majority of the population.
2.To reduce the prices of drugs and medicines and to ensure procurement of raw materials at the most competitive prices.
3.To eliminate useless,non-essential and harmful drugs from the market.
4.To promote local production of finished drugs as well as of basic pharmaceutical raw and packaging materials in the country.
5.To ensure co-ordination among various administrative branches of the Government in respect of drug control and drug supply system.
6.To develop drug monitoring and information systems to prevent wasteful misuse of drugs and to ensure their proper utilisation.
7.To promote scientific development and application of unani,ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines and to ensure their standardisation and quality by bringing these under the purview of drug legislation.
8.To improve the standard of hospital pharmacies and private retail pharmacies by improving the facilities for education and training of professional pharmacists.
9.To ensure good manufacturing practices each manufacturing company must employ qualified pharmacists.
Source:The Politics Of Essential Drugs By-Dr.Zafrullah Chowdhury
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