DHAKA, Sept 01, 2018 (BSS) – Third plant of the country’s lone state-owned pharmaceutical manufacturer Essential Drugs Company Ltd (EDCL) is going to be launched in the last week of this month.
“The 3rd plant of EDCL has been completed …Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to formally inaugurate the plant at Gopalganj, the birth place of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim told BSS.
Government hospitals, health centers and community clinics are distributing medicines free of cost across the country as at least 72 percent drugs are being supplied by EDCL, Nasim said, adding, “The government would be able to provide 100 percent of medicine free of cost after launching of the factory”.
“After completion of 3rd plant, this drug company will be the largest medicine manufacturing company in the South Asia. The construction work of 3rd Plant project of EDCL began in March, 2015 at a cost of Taka 600 crore on 10 acres of land. It will also create job opportunity for 800 people,” Managing Director of EDLC Professor Dr Ehsanul Kabir said.
The plant would produce birth control pills and injections, IV fluid, Penicillin and Iron tablet. Annually the plant would produce 3,300m birth control injections, 3200m pills, 181m penicillin tablets, 217m penicillin capsules and 12 different anti-biotic medicines, sources said.
Among four units of the project, the penicillin unit would start its production on trial basis from next month and full phase production of the plants would start from December next, they added.