Rasiqh Wadud writes how academia, industry and global partnerships can shape the country鈥檚 drug innovation future
BANGLADESH鈥橲 pharmaceutical industry has long been a success story of transformation. Originating in the early 1980s as an import-dependent sector, it has evolved into a thriving hub for the production of generic medicines that reliably meet the needs of its domestic population while serving over 100 export markets. With a current market valuation of around $3 billion and projections to exceed $6 billion by 2025, the sector has demonstrated formidable strength and resilience. But as the global generics market becomes increasingly competitive, and with expiring patents, it is time for Bangladesh to look beyond replication, and towards discovery.
Now, in 2025, Bangladesh stands at a critical crossroads. The next chapter for Bangladesh must be built on drug discovery, and both industry and academia have critical roles to play.
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A moment of opportunity and urgency
BANGLADESH benefits from a unique TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) flexibilities waiver, which permits production of patented medicines without legal repercussions until 2033. This flexibility has fuelled its success in generics. But with the clock ticking, the nation must use this grace period to move into value-added research. The transition from relying on TRIPS flexibilities to adhering to a stricter international IP regime necessitates a parallel evolution from low-value generic production to higher-value innovation in drug discovery. Investing in drug discovery opens the door to capture higher profit margins, foster technological innovation, and stimulate domestic research and development activities.
Drug discovery has historically been considered the playground of billion-dollar pharmaceutical giants. That perception no longer holds. The landscape is shifting. Artificial intelligence, machine learning and global access to specialised services have democratised many aspects of early-stage drug development. Molecule screening, lead optimisation and even virtual structure-based drug design can now be initiated without the need for building in-house wet labs from scratch. For countries like Bangladesh, this is a game-changing leveller.
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Unlocking the academic engine
GLOBALLY, drug discovery is often seeded in academic laboratories. Basic research like identifying disease mechanisms, characterising biological targets or designing novel molecular scaffolds frequently originates in universities. In countries like the United States, United Kingdom and Singapore, academic institutions are often the birthplaces of new molecular discoveries. Prestigious universities such as MIT, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and National University of Singapore have not only produced breakthrough research but also incubated biotech startups and facilitated licensing deals with global pharmaceutical firms.
Bangladesh can and should follow this model. In particular, private universities in Bangladesh are capable of playing a transformative role in this space. As someone who has served as a lecturer at a reputed private university and as a graduate of the same institution, I have directly witnessed the academic potential that exists.
Many leading discoveries around the world have begun with focused research questions and strategic collaborations. What some of the universities, public and private, can do now is begin cultivating a research culture. Although the universities may not yet have dedicated drug discovery infrastructure, this should not be seen as a barrier. Leveraging international collaboration and existing global research platforms is a practical and realistic way to begin. In fact, a gradual evolution starting with project-based partnerships and external collaborations mirrors the trajectory of many high-impact research efforts I have personally observed. Universities in Bangladesh can initiate such projects by connecting with their growing alumni network and tapping into global expertise, allowing the institutions to dip into exploratory science without immediate capital-heavy commitments.
If Bangladesh is to take charge of its own scientific future, universities must rise to the challenge, not simply watching innovation happen elsewhere, but becoming part of the process that drives it forward.
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Lessons from peer economies
THE government has made some strides in incentivising pharmaceutical R&D. Tax holidays, duty exemptions for lab equipment, and infrastructure in export processing zones are welcome initiatives. But we need more targeted investment in innovation ecosystems 鈥� biotech parks, translational research centres and coordinated academia-industry networks.
Countries like India and Singapore offer instructive examples. India鈥檚 public-private biotech parks and liberalisation of IP policies in the 1990s gave rise to domestic drug discovery efforts that now yield licensed molecules for global markets. Singapore invested billions into its Biopolis complex, attracting R&D from multinational giants and creating a skilled workforce.
Vietnam and Thailand are also noteworthy. Both nations are currently in the midst of transitioning from a generics-dominated pharmaceutical model to investing in drug discovery and innovation. Vietnam, through the ministry of health鈥檚 Strategy for Pharmaceutical Industry Development to 2030, has committed to developing its domestic drug production capacity for high-tech and original medicines. The country is investing in biotechnology research, upgrading regulatory pathways and encouraging private-sector innovation through tax incentives and foreign partnerships. Thailand, similarly, has launched the Thailand Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences, aimed at fostering drug discovery, genomics and personalised medicine. Supported by both government funding and international partnerships, these efforts are positioning Thailand as an emerging hub for biomedical innovation in Southeast Asia.
Bangladesh doesn鈥檛 need to mimic these models dollar-for-dollar, but it can adapt the principles: de-risking early-stage R&D through government support, creating incentives for industry-academic partnerships and inviting its global scientific diaspora to co-develop solutions.
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Why the time is now
A CONFLUENCE of factors 鈥� global patent expiries, geopolitical shifts in supply chains, the rise of AI driven drug discovery 鈥� makes 2025 the right moment for Bangladesh to act. Delaying this transition risks losing the window of opportunity to become a serious player in the global biopharmaceutical industry. Many of the country鈥檚 top pharmaceutical companies already operate facilities that are compliant with US FDA and EMA standards. This gives them the technical foundation to produce complex therapeutics.
By investing even a fraction of their capital into small, focused R&D teams, supported and guided by specialised expertise, these firms can begin to diversify. They do not need to compete with Big Pharma. Instead, by taking the first steps in drug discovery, they open pathways for future collaboration: knowledge transfer, co-development and shared innovation.
This is how innovation begins. The next decade will determine whether Bangladesh remains a manufacturer of medicines or becomes a creator of cures.
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Rasiqh Wadud is principal investigator at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge. His research focuses on red blood cell physiology and drug discovery.
