The country is going to produce much-needed poultry vaccine locally within a year, Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) announced the breakthrough in the animal health sector, reports UNB.

In a further significant advancement, Bangladesh's rising pharmaceutical industry will take two more years to manufacture human vaccine.

Secretary-General of the association Abdul Muktadir came up with the announcement of the advances in the two fields at a dissemination seminar Sunday.

"Within one year we'll be able to produce poultry vaccine and two more years will be needed to produce human vaccine on the local market," Muktadir said.

Directorate of Drug Administration (DDA) organised the seminar titled 'Fast Track Licensing for WHO Pre-qualified Vaccines Used in EPI' at a city hotel in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Health Minister Prof Dr AFM Ruhal Haque, WHO Bangladesh representative Dr Duangradee Sungkhobol and Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Society President Prof ABM Faroque, among others, spoke at the function chaired by director, DDA, Brig Gen Dr Ismail Hossain. DDA Assistant Director AA Salim Barami presented the keynote.

Muktadir said the country has to import both human and poultry vaccines to meet a huge local demand.

Speaking as the chief guest, the Health Minister said the government has taken all necessary steps to enhance its drug-testing lab capacity to promote the local pharmaceuticals.

About fast-track registration, Salim Barami said this procedure is applicable to all imported pre-qualified vaccines that are used in national immunisation programme and supplied trough a UN agency or procured directly by the government.

"The vaccines currently used in EPI and the vaccines which will be used in future in EPI (procured from WHO pre-qualified list) will be eligible for fast-track registration," he told the meet.

Prof ABM Faroque urged the DDA to ensure maintaining cold chain of any vaccine to ensure their efficacy.

"The success of any immunisation programme depends on administering effective vaccines. It is important to ensure that vaccines are stored in optimal conditions to maintain their effectiveness," he said.

Prof ABM Faroque, also teacher of Pharmaceutical Technology, said a cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of storage and distribution activities which maintain a given temperature range.

It is used to help extend and ensure the shelf life of products such as pharmaceutical drugs.