12th ASIA PHARMA EXPO 2020 concludes in Bangladesh

The 12th ASIA PHARMA EXPO 2020 and ASIA LAB EXPO 2020, an international exhibition on pharma manufacturing technologies were scheduled from February 28 to March 1, 2020 at ICCB, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The inauguration ceremony took place on February 28, 2020 at ICCB, Dhaka, Bangladesh, where Salman Fazlur Rahman, MP, Private Industry and Investment Advisor to the Honorable Prime Minister was the Chief Guest.

Riva Ganguly Das, IAS (Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh) and Md Mahbubur Rahman, Major General (Director General, Directorate General of Drug Administration) also attended the event special guests. Nazmul Hasan MP , Managing Director – Beximco Pharma and President, Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Association, S M Shafiuzzaman, Secretary General – Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Association and Paresh Jhurmarvala, CEO – GPE EXPOwere were the Guests of Honour.

In his inaugural speech Salman F Rahman, MP said, “This Expo is helping to develop the pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh and making significant contribution to Bangladesh economy”. The Exhibition is being organized jointly by the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries and GPE EXPO since year 2003 at Dhaka, offering an unparalleled international trade and technologies platform specifically to the entrepreneurs manufacturing and exporting the pharma engineering machineries and pharma bulk active chemicals to explore the business with the Bangladesh pharmaceutical industry. An overwhelming response by the local Business Associates as well technology solution providers from outside Bangladesh was noticed.

With the 2020 edition of the event, the ASIA PHARMA EXPO has now completed presence of 18 years in Bangladesh pharma industry and offers a business platform for the entire spectrum of the pharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and solution providers across the pharma industry. The focused industry segments were: Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Biotech, API, Neutraceuticals, Personal Care, Cosmetics, Beverages, Distilleries.

At APE 2020, more than 628 exhibiting companies from 29 countries across the world exhibited their latest technologies to upgrade the pharma manufacturing standards of Bangladesh to a newer height. The three days 2020 exhibition was attended by 11,748 trade visitors who explored the complete spectrum of latest pharma manufacturing technologies and products on display, which includes: processing machineries for formulation & API manufacturing, packaging machineries and materials, cleanroom and utility equipments services, water treatment and management systems, analytical and biotech lab instruments, project consultants and turnkey contractors, API, pharma bulk actives, excipients, additives, etc.

The Bangladesh local pharma market is valued at around Taka 40,000 crore. More than 300 pharmaceutical companies of Bangladesh with current exports worth USD 72+ million are anticipated to reach country’s pharma formulation exports USD 60 billion by 2021.

Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already announced the pharmaceutical industry as a promising sector, as it is contributing much to the improvement of country’s economic growth. Bangladesh has undoubtedly emerged as one of the fastest growing pharma-economy in global markets, and the momentum of growth further accelerated by 17 years long extension till year 2033 by WTO / TRIPs to continue the patented pharma formulations. More than 47 units at API Manufacturing Park are coming up near Dhaka. The Bangladesh pharma industry now meets around 98 percent of the local demand for medicines, which is a milestone in the history of pharmaceutical industry.

The EEPC INDIA (formally known as Engineering Export Promotion Council, set up by Ministry of Commerce, Government of India), PHARMEXCIL and FICCI had organised INDIA Pavilions at the Exhibition. The Exhibition was also supported by EEPC INDIA, PHARMEXCIL and FICCI.