A $336.5 million loan package to create domestic vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostic production capacity in Bangladesh was authorized on Wednesday by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
According to a media release, it also sought to bolster the national regulator, the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), to guarantee the security of the vaccination supply.
"This project aims to build Bangladesh`s resilience against future pandemics, improve vaccine supply security, and reduce the incidence and severity of vaccine-preventable diseases," said ADB Principal Health Specialist Dinesh Arora.
In Essential Drugs Company Limited`s (EDCL) current Gopalganj location, a vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostics production facility and warehousing unit will be established as part of the project. This plant will have the capacity to produce 58 million vials of vaccines annually.
