Bangladesh - What is the state of the pharmaceutical balance of trade in Bangladesh?

The balance of trade will remain negative and the deficit is likely to grow.

Bangladesh does not export pharmaceutical products to any significant degree, although there are tentative signs of growth since 2006. Finished medicaments accounted for almost the whole export market in 2008. Imports are low but continue to increase. Raw materials accounted for just less than 50% of all imports in 2008. Imports of finished medicaments and antisera & vaccines represented the remainder of the total.

It is difficult to project how the balance of pharmaceutical trade will change throughout the forecast period. On the one hand, reports indicate that exports are rising. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical reputation may have been tarnished by the recent scandal involving Rid Pharmaceuticals, which could result in fewer exports of domestically-produced drugs. Espicom expects that the balance of trade will remain negative and the deficit is likely to grow.

Further reading - Detailed information on the pharmaceutical market in Bangladesh is available from Espicom: The Pharmaceutical Market: Bangladesh (published May 2010)