Local pharmaceutical company Renata Limited has filed an application to import Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine to Bangladesh.
Confirming the matter to The Business Post, Renata's Company Secretary Md Jubayer Alam said, “We applied to the government on April 20 but still haven’t received any response.”
“Moderna asked us to take permission from the Bangladesh government first, which is why we’re awaiting a reply before proceeding with the vaccine procurement procedure,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Director General of Health Services Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam mentioned in a programme that Renata had submitted an application seeking permission to bring the Moderna vaccine to Bangladesh.
He added that the documents regarding this request had been sent to the Directorate General of Drug Administration and the DGDA was assessing whether the company was capable enough of importing the vaccine doses.
The Moderna vaccine needs to be stored at a sub-zero temperature.
According to the DGHS, the government now has the facility to store vaccines at minus temperatures only in the capital. There is no facility to preserve them outside Dhaka.
