Int’l conference on drug discovery and development and pharma fest 22 held at IUB

The School of Pharmacy and Public Health and the Pharma Club of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) jointly organised the International Conference on Drug Discovery and Development (ICDD) and Pharma Fest 2022 at the IUB campus on 19-20 September.

The theme of the conference was "Academia-Industry Alliance for Research Excellence". 

The two-day event focused on recent advancements in drug discovery and drug development. The event also included Poster presentations and Pharma Olympiad, reads a press release.

During the inauguration programme, special guest Major General Mohammad Yousuf, director general of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), said, "Bangladesh is now almost self-sufficient in medicine. About 40 years back we had to import 45% of our medicine. Now we are producing 98% of medicine and also exporting to 157 countries."

Abdul Hai Sarker, chairman of the IUB Board of Trustees, emphasised on industry academia relationships. He requested pharmaceutical companies to come forward to allow final year students of pharmacy to learn the manufacturing processes, especially the practical part.

IUB Vice-Chancellor Tanweer Hasan said, "There are many ways the industry may help the academia and combine forces for the common good. One is joint research. It could be R&D, scientific as well as economic research. You may also help us update the curriculum so that our graduates stay competitive to meet local and global industry needs." 

Prof Niaz Ahmed Khan, Pro Vice-Chancellor, IUB; Sharmeen Murshid, CEO of NGO BROTEE; Mohammed Ruhul Amin, executive director of Orion Pharma Ltd; Dr Syed Umar Khyyam, chief of Party, USP-PQM+; Prof Dr Miraz Rahman, chair in Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, UK; and Professor Dr JMA Hannan, dean of School of Pharmacy and Public Health, IUB, also spoke at the programme.

Renowned scholars and researchers including Prof Peter Flatt from the University of Ulster, UK; Prof Miraz Rahman from King's College London, UK; Prof Shyamal Das from the University of Otago, New Zealand; Dr Douglas Steinke and Dr David G Allison from the University of Manchester, UK; and Dr Nazmul Islam from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia delivered keynote presentations. 

Another 35 speakers from different disciplines presented their research in the scientific session. A total of 113 participants from 22 universities took part in the poster presentation session. The Pharma Olympiad was held among 39 teams from renowned public and private universities. A total of 45 companies participated in the Pharma Fest.

The event concluded with a cultural programme organised by the IUB Pharma Club and pharmacy students of other universities. ICDD and Pharma Fest 22 was sponsored by Dhaka Bank Ltd, presented by Square Pharmaceuticals Limited, Basundhara Kings Limited, and Orion Pharmaceuticals Limited, along with many other co-sponsors.