Pharmaceutical raw materials worth Tk 2b burnt in airport fire: BAPI

Pharmaceutical raw materials worth at least Tk 2 billion have been burnt in the fire at the cargo village of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) secretary general Md Zakir Hossain confirmed this saying there are 307 pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh, of which 250 are still in business.

As of 11:00 am today, top 32 pharmaceutical companies have confirmed that their raw materials worth more than Tk 2 billion have been burnt in the airport fire.

Md Zakir Hossain disclosed this at a press conference in the capital’s Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel today, Monday.

The Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) organised the press conference over the matter. EAB president Mohammad Hatem read out a written statement at the press conference.

In response to another query, BAPI secretary general Zakir Hossain said, “Each medicine requires between 10–12 and 53 ingredients for production. As raw materials worth Tk 2 billion have been destroyed in the fire, the production of medicines worth Tk 30–50 billion may be disrupted.”

However, he said the supply chain will not be affected immediately.

Zakir Hossain said many aircraft were diverted to Chattogram airport during the fire on Saturday. There are concerns about whether the raw materials for medicines on those planes will remain intact, as maintaining temperature control is crucial for their preservation — a facility that is not available there.

Mohammad Hatem said the fire at the cargo village caused direct and indirect losses amounting to Tk 120 billion. He said the authorities had shown extreme negligence in ensuring fire detection and prevention at such an important facility.