Essential Drugs to produce measles, rabies, dengue vaccines, antivenom

For the first time, state-owned pharmaceutical manufacturer Essential Drugs Company Limited is set to produce vaccines for dengue, rabies, and measles as well as antivenom under a government initiative. Officials hope that once implemented, the project will meet domestic vaccine demand and also create export opportunities.

According to Essential Drugs sources, these vaccines have been prioritised due to high domestic demand.

Infographics: TBS

Md A Samad Mridha, managing director of Essential Drugs, told The Business Standard that under directives from the prime minister and supervision of the health minister, the company has undertaken the project on an urgent basis.

He said current public health needs have made dengue, rabies, snakebite and measles major concerns, making local vaccine production highly necessary.

"We are working with a target to begin production of these four vaccines within one year. We hope to start production and supply them to the government by June next year," he said.

Essential Drugs said the project will be implemented using the company's existing facilities, with an estimated cost of Tk20 crore to Tk25 crore. Once operational, it will be capable of producing around 90 lakh 1 crore vials annually.

At present, domestic demand for these four vaccines stands at around 50 lakh doses. As a result, once the project is implemented, it will be possible to meet local demand while exporting surplus vaccines abroad.

Mridha said the vaccines could be supplied locally at nearly half the price the government currently pays for imports, reducing costs and improving availability.

Bangladesh has faced a measles outbreak this year. So far, child deaths from measles have exceeded 320, while nearly 40,000 children have been infected. Experts say the outbreak occurred due to the failure to secure vaccines on time.

The dengue situation in the country also becomes severe every year. In 2025, 413 people died of dengue, while 100,267 were infected.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends Qdenga (TAK-003), a live-attenuated dengue vaccine developed by Takeda, for children aged 6 to 16 in settings with high dengue transmission and disease burden. It was prequalified by WHO in May 2024.

Essential Drugs is planning to produce Qdenga (TAK-003).

Meanwhile, hospitals across the country are currently facing shortages of antivenom and anti-rabies vaccines. Every year, deaths occur from snakebite due to a lack of antivenom.

According to an annual snakebite survey, around 4 lakh people in Bangladesh suffer snakebites each year, of whom more than 7,500 die. One-quarter of victims are bitten by venomous snakes, while 10.6% become physically disabled and 1.9% mentally disabled.

Bangladesh currently has no antivenom production facility, despite the high death toll from snakebites. Around 2,500 livestock animals also die annually from snakebite.

Experts believe local production of these four vaccines would both strengthen government capacity and improve vaccine accessibility.

Meanwhile, Essential Drugs is also implementing another major project in Sirajdikhan. A Vaccine, Therapeutic and Diagnostic Research Centre is being built on around 10 acres of land in Sirajdikhan with financing from the Asian Development Bank. Officials said the centre aims to begin production by 2032.

In addition, Essential Drugs currently has four projects in hand involving antivenom, anti-rabies, generic pharmaceuticals, and research and diagnostics. Once completed, these projects are expected to significantly enhance Essential Drugs's capacity to meet government demand for medicines and vaccines.