Beximco Pharmaceuticals has donated 1,000 Remdesivir injections for the treatment of dying patients infected with Covid-19.
Nazmul Hasan Papon, Managing Director of Beximco Pharmaceuticals, handed over the drugs to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the conference room of the Ministry of Health Thursday afternoon.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque received the medicine on behalf of the Ministry.
On the occasion, the Health Minister thanked Beximco Pharma for being the first to handover any medicine for the treatment of Covid-19 in Bangladesh. While receiving the medicine, the minister said, “Many countries of the world are trying to discover a medicine for the treatment of Covid-19. From Bangladesh, the Department of Drug Administration has initially given permission to 6 companies to manufacture Covid-19 drugs. These drugs, however, need to be marketed only after being tested properly.”
“Drugs produced without proper testing is not safe to be marketed right now. Many more types of medicines have come to the attention of the Ministry of Health. But, so far no country in the world including Bangladesh has been able to discover a 100 percent effective medicine. However, we are making every effort”, he said.
It is to be noted that the medicine manufactured by Beximco Pharma in Bangladesh has been renamed as Remsivir as the medicine made in USA. The drug may be injected into the bodies of high-risk Covid-19 patients currently being treated in government hospitals as directed by specialist doctors.
But, the drug will not hit the market now, said Nazmul Hasan Papon.
Asadul Islam, Secretary of the Department of Health Services, Secretary of the Department of Health Education Ali Noor, Prime Minister's Personal Physician Professor ABM Abdullah, Director General of the Department of Drug Administration Major General Mahbubur Rahman, CMHD Director Brigadier General Md. Shahidullah and other senior officials of the ministry were also present at the handover ceremony.
