BSMMU 'findings on Ceftriaxone injection accurate'

Methods and findings of the Department of Pharmacology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on Ceftriaxone injection are accurate, speakers at a press briefing and workshop said yesterday.
They also said that the department followed international standard and measured the active ingredient of Ceftriaxone injection of top 17 companies and found the injections of a particular batch of three companies do not have the right amount of active ingredients.
The university then sent the result to the Drug Administration (DA) on August 12. But DA did not take any action in this regard.
At the press briefing jointly organised by Peoples' Health Movement (PHM) and Health for All at Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) columnist and pharmacist Farhad Mozhar said a national university could raise questions on the quality of drugs in any country.
"But opposing the results of the university, a group of owners of different drug companies have engaged themselves in giving confusing statements. Even they raised questions about the quality of the university teachers," he said.
Terming the advertisement published in different newspapers by some drug companies against the report of Pharmacology department as confusing, the speakers said the drug companies are now trying to ruin the university and so publishing advertisements by naming its teachers who were involved with the research.
Prior to this, Drug Owners' Association in a discussion with the journalists on October 28 also said that the report of the department of Pharmacology would hinder their drug export in different Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
In fact, the local companies could export little, said Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury highlighting that in 2005 Bangladesh exported drugs worth of Tk 144 crore, whereas it had to import raw material for drug manufacturing worth Tk 650 crore.
So, clear provision of incentive should be incorporated in the national budget in producing raw materials of drugs. At the same time, the drug companies should provide a particular amount of money for medical research compulsorily, he added.
The speakers also said that for the sake of people's health, 350 drugs that the World Health Organisation identified as essential drugs should be incorporated in the essential drug list.
Meanwhile, members of the companies or doctors should not be present at the Drug Control Committee (DCC) as they influence the policy and budget, they added.
Presided over by Chairman of Peoples' Health Movement Shah Momin Zinnah, the briefing was also addressed by Prof Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, dean, Postgraduate Medical Studies.