Bangladesh Must Invest in Domestic Vaccine Manufacturing Now

Dr Mohammad Mizanur Rahman

Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in public health over the past few decades. The country's Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has significantly reduced childhood mortality and protected millions of children from vaccine-preventable diseases. These achievements have been made possible through strong government commitment, dedicated healthcare workers, and valuable support from international partners, including multilateral organisations, development agencies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

However, the country is now entering a new phase of development. As it transitions from a Least Developed Country (LDC) to a developing economy, the nature of international assistance is expected to change. Historically, development partners have gradually reduced concessional support as countries become economically stronger and better able to finance their own public services. This transition is a normal feature of global development financing, and Bangladesh should prepare for it strategically rather than react to it after support begins to decline.

For this reason, Bangladesh must now prioritise domestic vaccine research, development, and manufacturing as a national policy objective. Vaccine self-reliance is no longer simply a public health aspiration; it is a matter of national health security, economic resilience, and strategic preparedness.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how vulnerable countries can become when they depend entirely on imported vaccines. During the early stages of the pandemic, vaccine-producing nations prioritized their own populations, leaving many developing countries waiting months for adequate supplies. The crisis exposed the limitations of relying solely on international supply chains during global health emergencies.

More recently, Bangladesh has experienced a significant resurgence of measles. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), thousands of suspected and confirmed measles cases have been reported across most districts of the country, resulting in preventable childhood deaths. WHO has emphasized that measles remains one of the world's most contagious infectious diseases but is almost entirely preventable through high vaccination coverage with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine. These outbreaks serve as a reminder that maintaining uninterrupted vaccine availability is essential for protecting children and preventing avoidable mortality.

Every child who dies from a vaccine-preventable disease represents not only a personal tragedy but also a failure of the health system to ensure timely immunization. Although disease outbreaks are influenced by many factors—including vaccination coverage, surveillance, logistics, and community acceptance—an uninterrupted vaccine supply remains one of the most critical components of outbreak prevention and control.

Bangladesh already possesses one of South Asia's strongest pharmaceutical industries. Local pharmaceutical companies manufacture high-quality medicines that are exported to more than 100 countries, demonstrating substantial expertise in pharmaceutical production and quality management. This industrial capacity provides a strong foundation upon which a domestic vaccine manufacturing ecosystem can be developed.

Developing vaccine manufacturing capability will require long-term investment in research infrastructure, biotechnology, skilled scientists, regulatory systems, and technology transfer. While vaccine production is significantly more complex than manufacturing conventional medicines, Bangladesh has the scientific potential and industrial experience to progressively build this capacity through strategic public-private partnerships.

The Government of Bangladesh should therefore adopt a comprehensive National Vaccine Security Strategy with a clear long-term vision. Such a strategy should include:

Investment in vaccine research and development.

Establishment of a National Vaccine Research and Innovation Centre.

Incentives for pharmaceutical companies to invest in vaccine manufacturing.

Technology transfer partnerships with internationally recognised vaccine producers.

Strengthening of regulatory oversight to meet international quality standards.

Expansion of biotechnology education and workforce development.

Sustainable financing mechanisms to support vaccine innovation.

These initiatives would not only strengthen national health security but also stimulate scientific innovation, create highly skilled employment opportunities, and reduce long-term dependence on imported vaccines.

International experience demonstrates that countries with domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity respond more rapidly during disease outbreaks. Local production shortens procurement timelines, improves supply chain resilience, and allows governments to prioritise vulnerable populations during emergencies.

Economic considerations also support domestic vaccine production. Bangladesh currently spends substantial foreign currency on importing vaccines and other biological products. Although establishing vaccine manufacturing facilities requires significant initial investment, long-term domestic production could reduce import dependency, improve balance-of-payment stability, and eventually position Bangladesh as a regional supplier for neighbouring countries and other low- and middle-income nations.

As Bangladesh progresses economically, international organisations such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, are expected to transition eligible countries toward greater domestic financing of immunisation programmes. This evolution reflects the principle that countries with growing economic capacity gradually assume greater responsibility for financing their own vaccine programmes. Bangladesh should therefore prepare for this transition by strengthening domestic production capacity and ensuring sustainable financing for immunisation services.

Nevertheless, vaccine manufacturing alone will not guarantee successful disease control. Strong routine immunisation programmes, effective cold-chain systems, robust disease surveillance, rapid laboratory diagnostics, and public confidence in vaccines remain essential components of a resilient health system. Domestic production should complement—not replace—these critical public health functions.

Policy-makers should also encourage stronger collaboration among universities, research institutes, government agencies, and the pharmaceutical industry. Translational research should be prioritized so that scientific discoveries can move efficiently from laboratories into clinical development and ultimately into commercial vaccine production. Such collaboration will help establish Bangladesh as a regional centre for vaccine innovation.

Importantly, vaccine self-reliance should not be interpreted as isolation from international cooperation. Bangladesh will continue to benefit from partnerships with WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and global scientific institutions. However, international cooperation should strengthen national capacity rather than create permanent dependence. Sustainable health systems are built upon domestic capability supported by global collaboration.

(Dr Mohammad Mizanur Rahman is an Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Management and Science University, Malaysia.)