Incepta's rise as vaccine powerhouse
The company has also secured a coveted place in the global mRNA technology hub — one of just 15 vaccine makers worldwide in the network and only one from the country — enabling it to roll out new vaccines within weeks if another pandemic or novel disease emerges
Highlights:
- Incepta produces 16 human vaccines, 13 animal vaccines locally
- Bangladesh joins WHO's global mRNA vaccine technology hub
- Local vaccines cut costs, reduce reliance on expensive imports
- Incepta solved shortages for pneumonia, cervical cancer, and rabies
- Company exports medicines to 89 countries, plans further expansion
- Strong R&D, global collaborations drive innovation and self-sufficiency
Bangladesh may be on the cusp of a vaccine revolution. Local pharmaceutical giant Incepta Pharmaceuticals has quietly built the capacity to produce 16 types of human vaccines and 13 animal vaccines — a leap that could save the country thousands of crores in foreign currency while making life-saving shots cheaper and more accessible.
The company has also secured a coveted place in the global mRNA technology hub — one of just 15 vaccine makers worldwide in the network and only one from the country — enabling it to roll out new vaccines within weeks if another pandemic or novel disease emerges.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Launched in South Africa in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic, the hub is a WHO-led initiative to help developing countries produce advanced vaccines such as those pioneered by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
"We are now capable of producing any kind of biological drugs and vaccines. At present, we are able to meet 100% of the country's vaccine demand," Abdul Muktadir, chairman and managing director of Incepta, told TBS.
Why it matters
Bangladesh spent Tk40,000 crore ($3.7bn) on Covid-19 vaccines, despite receiving large donations.
Industry sources estimate that, including private hospitals, the total vaccine market in Bangladesh is worth nearly Tk3,000 crore
Industry insiders estimate the country's annual vaccine import bill at around Tk7,000 crore. Incepta's push for self-sufficiency could sharply reduce this burden and save countless lives.
Incepta's self-sufficiency drive could sharply reduce this burden and save countless lives in the process.
Pneumonia
For instance, Pneumonia kills more than 25,000 Bangladeshi children every year. Until recently, patients had to rely on costly imports, paying up to Tk8,000 per dose, often facing shortages. In 2024, Incepta launched Avimar-13, a locally manufactured pneumonia and pneumococcal vaccine, slashing the price to Tk4,000 and ending the availability crisis.
Cervical cancer
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a multinational company, was once the sole distributor of the cervical cancer vaccine in Bangladesh. When GSK shut down its operations in the country in 2015, treatment for this deadly disease faced a crisis. For years, the vaccine had to be imported at high prices from different countries, but now it is produced locally at Incepta's factory – at least 40% cheaper than the GSK price back in 2015.
Rabies
Another common disease in Bangladesh, rabies, also faced frequent vaccine shortages that made headlines in the media. Although the government imported and distributed the vaccine free of cost, limited availability led to its illegal sale at high prices. Incepta solved this problem too: since it began local production in 2012, the vaccine has been available in hospitals.
From small to global
Incepta's Zirabo facility, just outside Dhaka, began operations in 2011 with typhoid, rabies and tetanus vaccines. Today, it produces nearly all vaccines required in Bangladesh, including hepatitis A and B, measles-rubella, meningitis, flu, antivenom, and immune globulin therapies.
Vaccine production is expensive, time-consuming and knowledge-intensive
Farhana Lyzu, senior manager, Vaccine, Marketing Strategy Department at Incepta, said, "Every year, Incepta supplies around 100,000 Hajj vaccines to the government, as well as snakebite antivenoms. Its annual capacity stands at 180 million single doses, supported by four filling lines, three bulk antigen suites, and an R&D wing."
In addition, Incepta has completed clinical trials for a typhoid conjugate vaccine and is advancing candidates for HPV4, pneumococcal (PCV), dengue, and rotavirus vaccines.
The company currently produces 16 vaccines and immune globulin (IG) products, including four developed with its own bulk antigens: meningococcal (ACYW135), hepatitis B, cholera, and rabies vaccines.
Animal vaccine push
Complementing its human health efforts, the Incepta Animal Vaccine Division, founded in 2014, focuses on supporting livestock health and productivity. With 96,000 square feet of manufacturing space, the division can produce 5.88 billion doses of live vaccines and 650 million doses of inactivated vaccines annually.
Bangladesh's animal health vaccine market, currently Tk4,000 crore, is projected to hit Tk10,000 crore by 2030.
It has already launched 12 poultry vaccines and one cattle vaccine, with all products manufactured in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and international regulatory standards.
Key quality assurance measures include adherence to WOAH (World Organisation for Animal Health) guidelines, maintaining stringent cold-chain requirements (+2°C to +8°C), and performing rigorous challenge tests to ensure desired antibody titers.
Challenge of vaccine production: How it began
Vaccine production is expensive, time-consuming and knowledge-intensive. Most Bangladeshi pharma firms stayed away. But Incepta entered the field with encouragement from icddr,b, particularly cholera vaccine pioneer Dr Firdausi Qadri, explained Incepta Chairman Abdul Muktadir.
"It was Firdausi Qadri, a leading vaccine scientist in Bangladesh, who first requested me to make a cholera vaccine," he recalled.
"I was initially asked to set up a small cholera vaccine facility," said Muktadir. "This was around 2008–09, when cholera was still causing many deaths in the country," he said.
Bangladesh's animal health vaccine market, currently Tk4,000 crore, is projected to hit Tk10,000 crore by 2030
"Instead, I envisioned sustainable, large-scale vaccine production. I travelled to the US, UK, China, India, Japan — learning from top labs — and then built our own capabilities."
"In 2011, we began, and by 2022, our work took full shape. In the beginning, we had to hire all the scientists from abroad. We actively searched for Bangladeshi scientists working overseas and brought them into our company. After more than 10 years of research at our R&D centre, we have now achieved success," Muktadir said.
"We have not only achieved self-sufficiency in vaccine production but also trained several thousand scientists," the Incepta chair informed.
Today, 450–500 scientists work at the Zirabo plant, while over 100 former employees now work in the US
Cutting-edge R&D and global collaborations
Incepta's 10,000 sq ft R&D wing, equipped with advanced technology, is split into bacterial, viral, formulation, and shared facilities, enabling advanced work in protein and polysaccharide purification, conjugation, and cell banking.
Pre-clinical and clinical trials are conducted in line with regulatory requirements, with pharmacovigilance maintained for all marketed vaccines.
Incepta partners with leading international institutions, including IVI, PATH, Imperial College London, icddr,b and Oxford University. These collaborations enable joint development of innovative vaccines and accelerate access to next-generation immunisation solutions worldwide.
Vaccine market size
According to Asian Development Bank (ADB) data, Bangladesh, with around 3 million births annually and strong immunisation coverage, presents a sizable domestic vaccine market. Between 2018 and 2022, the country spent about $160 million on its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), of which $88 million was allocated for vaccine supply and logistics.
Industry sources estimate that, including private hospitals, the total vaccine market in Bangladesh is worth nearly Tk3,000 crore.
Founded in 1999, Incepta Pharmaceuticals Limited (IPL) is Bangladesh's second-largest pharmaceutical company, producing specialised lifesaving drugs, vaccines, and biologics. Supported by a workforce of over 10,000, Incepta currently offers 1,279 generic pharmaceutical presentations.
The company exports to 89 countries, including the UK, Germany, and Turkey, and is planning to expand to 30 more markets. Since 2005, Incepta has supplied medicines to UNICEF and other UN organisations in Bangladesh, cementing its role in both domestic and international healthcare.
