Introduction

Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. or BPL, is the leading pharmaceutical manufacturer in the country. It all began in 1980 when BPL's first product made under license of Bayer AG, Germany rolled out of a small manufacturing plant in Tongi, Dhaka. Products made under license of Upjohn Incorporated, USA followed. After its initial years of struggle it broke ground with the launching of its own products in 1983. The journey continued and barrier after barrier were crossed, challenges were faced and overcome to transform BPL into what it is at present. Today, BPL holds a 15% share in the domestic market after competing with such Multinational Giants as Glaxo, Welcome, Novartis, Hoecsht, Rhone Poulenc Rorer, Fisons etc. BPL manufactures and markets a high quality and cost-effective range of about 80 formulations covering all major therapeutic groups. The commissioning of BPL's Basic Chemicals Unit in 1990, established a very significant milestone in the history of the country's chemical industry. It not only met 90% of the country's demand for two vital raw materials, ampicillin and amoxycillin but also started selling these to overseas markets, including South Korea and Malysia. BPL received the Export Gold Trophy in 19994-95 for its exports of these two basic chemicals making it the first pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh to win the Export Trophy Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a leading edge pharmaceutical company and is a member of the BEXIMCO Group, the largest private sector industrial conglomerate in Bangladesh. The strategic strengths of Beximco Pharma are its strong brand recognition, highly skilled work force and diversified business mix. Beximco Pharma brands Neoceptin R (Ranitidine), Napa (Paracetamol), Amdocal (Amlodipine), Neofloxin (Ciprofloxacin), Bexitrol F (Salmeterol Plus Fluticasone), Bextrum Gold (Multivitamin and Multi Mineral) and Atova (Atorvastatin) are among the most recognized brands in the Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry. Beximco Pharma started its operation in 1980, manufacturing products under the licenses of Bayer AG of Germany and Upjohn Inc. of USA and now has grown to become nation's one of the leading pharmaceutical companies, supplying 10% of country's total medicine need. Today Beximco Pharma manufactures and markets its own `branded generics' for almost all diseases from AIDS to cancer, from infection to asthma, from hypertension to diabetes, both nationally and internationally. Beximco Pharma manufactures a range of dosage forms including tablets, capsules, dry syrup, powder, cream, ointment, suppositories, large volume intravenous fluids, metered dose inhalers etc. in several world-class manufacturing plants, ensuring high quality standards complying with the World Health Organization (WHO) approved current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). The recipient of three times `gold' national export trophy, Beximco Pharma is the largest exporter of pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh, spreading its presence in many developing and developed countries across the globe. Beximco Pharma is the only company in Bangladesh to receive this highest national accolade for export, for record three times.

Beximco Pharma markets its brands through professional sales and marketing teams in African, Asian and European markets. It also supplies its products to renowned hospitals and institutions in many countries, including Raffles Hospital and K K Women & Children Hospital in Singapore, MEDS and Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Kenya, Jinnah Hospital, Agha Khan Hospital and Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Pakistan. Beximco Pharma is also an enlisted supplier of WHO and UNICEF. Another important business activity of Beximco Pharma is the contract manufacturing for major international brands of leading multinational companies. Beximco Pharma is acclaimed domestically and internationally for its outstanding product quality, world class manufacturing facilities, product development capabilities and outstanding service. Beximco Pharma has a strong market focus and is anticipating continued future growth by leveraging business capabilities and developing superior product brands and markets. In particular the company is very interested in developing a strong export market in USA and Europe. To meet the future demand Beximco Pharma has invested US$ 50 million to build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, confirming to USFDA and UK MHRA standards. This new plant will also offer contract-manufacturing facility to leading pharmaceutical companies, especially from Europe and US. Beximco Pharma employs 1800 staff and has an annual turnover of US$ 60 million.

Product Chronology
In the year 2001, BPL added 26 new products of different therapeutic classes in its portfolio and these products are highly appreciated by the health professionals. Most important of them are Triocim, Arixon, Prosan, Recox, Atova etc. Introduction of these new products enriched our product portfolio and is contributing to our sales significantly.

Increasing trends in product offerings

.reflects our relentless effort to provide better health care services to our valued customers.

Year 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1991 1993 1994 1995

No. of products introduced 6 5 7 3 8 4 4 2 9 10 10

Major revenue earning products Napa, Lactameal Tycil, Spanil Cephalen, Filmet, Gentosep Neoceptin R Tynisol, Ascobex, Clobex Bronkolax, Aristofol-Fe Ultrafen, Etrocin, Aristovit-B Neofloxin Tofen, Keolax, Cardopril, Aristoplex, Proceptin Omastin, Aristovit-M Diactin, Amdocal

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

12 15 13 6 11 26

Azithrocin, Rostil Pedeamin, Intracef, Enaril, Azmasol, Bexitrol, Atrizin Neosten, Nazolin, Hefolin SR, Formula-E, Decomit, Carocet Tripec, Avastin Diapro, Cox-B Triocim, Arixon, Prosan, Recox, Atova

Pakistan Market
In Pakistan, we have registered 46 finished formulation products. In Pakistan, BPL launched its products with Multimedia CD-ROMs replacing the age-old printed promotional materials. This innovative approach immediately gained tremendous positive response from the medical community in Pakistan. BPL's Pakistan office received 250 letters from doctors appreciating the use of this novel technology only after two weeks of launching its products. Our antibiotic brand Azithrocin is the market leader in its corresponding therapeutic class in Pakistan market. We are also doing very good with Amdocal, Omastin, Neofloxin and Suppositories. Basically, we were marketing our brands through the marketing network and sales forces of our own subsidiary named BexPhama

Singapore Market
Beximco Pharma is the pioneer to enter Singapore- one of the most regulated markets in Asia. We have 19 products registered in Singapore. In Singapore, apart from our regular retail sales, we are also supplying to large structured hospitals. In 2002, we have been awarded a tender order for our Neoceptin-R for the whole year consumption of Raffles Hospital the most expensive and prestigious hospital in Singapore. We are also continuously supplying our Napa Suppositores to KK Women & Children Hospital of Singapore. It can be mentioned here that every third Singaporean is born in KK Hospital. Our specialized and high tech products like Azmasol Inhaler, Nazolin Nasal Spary, Decomit Nasal Spary, Napa Suppository and Ultrafen Suppository have already gained good brand value in Singapore Market. From last year, we are also doing very good with our antibiotics (Neofloxin and Cephalen) and antiulcerants (Neoceptin-R and Proceptin).

Kenya Market
Beximco Pharma was the first company from Bangladesh to enter African Market. We have so far registered 26 products in Kenya - the centre of East African Market. As of today, BPL is the only pharmaceutical company from Bangladesh to operate in Kenya. We have our own marketing network and sales team to promote our brands in Kenya. BPL brands namely Flatameal-DS, Omastin, Tofen and Enaril have already gained strong brand image in the doctors' mind. We organized a very big scientific seminar in Nairobi where most of the leading specialists, consultants and physicians of Kenya participated. The Health Minister of Kenya was the chairman of this program. Apart from our regular retail sales, we are also supplying our products to big institutions and hospitals of Kenya. We are continuously supplying to 'Mission for Essential Drugs Supplies (MEDS)' - the largest institutions of Kenya and 'Kenyatta Hospital (KNH)' -the largest hospital in Kenya. We are now bringing in new and exciting molecules to rapidly expand our market in Kenya.

Myanmar Market
In Myanmar, we have so far registered 42 products. We have our own marketing network and sales forces to market, promote and sell our brands in Myanmar. Over the last few years, we have rapidly grown in this market in terms of export figures and sales. BPL brands namely, Aristovit-M, Aristofol-Fe, Neoceptin-R, Spanil, Amdocal, Napa Suppositories etc. have gained very good brand equity in the minds of the doctors community. We are also doing very good in Intravenous Fluid (IV Fluid) market segment in Myanmar. Every year, we are organizing scientific seminars and product launching programs where most of the leading specialists, consultants and physicians of Myanmar participate. In 1999, we donated one Medical Information Kiosk to the Myanmar Medical Association (MMA). This was so highly appreciated by the medical & doctors community of Mynamar that upon their request we had to donate another Kiosk to the

MMA of Mandalay in the year 2000. In Myanmar, we are now consolidating our marketing efforts and are expanding our business by bringing in new and exciting products. We are also bringing in liquid and bottle items to expand our product portfolio in Myanmar.

Future Strategies
In Asia, we will be entering Phillipines, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Nepal. We have already registered our Inhalers in Phillipines. We have also aplied for product registration in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Nepal. In Africa, we are basically considering East African countries like Tanzania and Uganda. We have also applied for registration in Malawi which is at the sound end of Africa. We also intend to enter various countries in Latin America with our Inhalers brands. In the Eastern Europe, we will be entering Czech Republic Market and in the near future, we also intend to enter Central Europe Market. Once our 50 Million Dollar new solid facility is completed and certified by USFDA, we aim to enter the United States Pharmaceutical Market -the largest in the world -to dramatically increase the company growth and profit

People
People make a company. Our success is based on attracting, developing and retaining talented and motivated employees. They share both our desire to excel and our commitment to improving the lives of the people. The employees of BPL believe in collaborative spirit. They appreciate that working as a team multiplies the strength of the individuals involved as well as the impact of the results. Skill acquisition and development for all staff is key to a company's growth through innovation. In this regard, we are always on the look out to identify training needs of our employees in order to enable them to carry out the entrusted responsibilities. Training programs undertaken, not only address skills relating to the specialty of the individuals concerned, but also improving leadership, management and project coordination abilities. Our purpose is not simply to explore the potential of today's new technologies but to unleash the creativity in every person engaged with the company. Because we believe the real measure of our success is not the power of technology but the power it unleashes in people. We have highly educated white-collar employees comprising of approximately 76% of total BPL's workforce. Among them are:
Ph. D. Engineers Pharmacists CMA CA MBA Chemists Biochemists Microbiologists Physicians Others (Graduate) 6 23 73 5 1 12 80 10 2 11 651

It is our people who make us different from our competitors. The secret of our success story lies in our people

Environment Health and Safety

We are continuously thriving to protect the environment and ensure the safety and health of our employees and communities where we operate. At BPL, we work to enhance

protection of the environment, and the safety and health of our neighbours, our customers and our employees. It is always monitored that concerned people wear appropriate and designated dresses like gowns, aprons, masks, helmets etc. BPL is very careful in discharging the wastes that are generated from any of its operation. To ensure this, regular environmental monitoring of emissions is being carried out. BPL is continuously striving to minimize adverse impacts on environment and to ensure total environmental protection by minimizing waste generation and improving the monitoring system. BPL History
1976 1980 1985 1990 1992 1993 1994-1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Registration of the company Started manufacturing and marketing of licensee products of Bayer AG of Germany and Upjohn Inc. of USA Listing in the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) as a Public Limited Company (PLC) Commissioning of Basic Chemical Unit Started export operation with Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) First export market operation with finished pharmaceutical products Achievement of National Export Trophy (Gold) as the first pharmaceutical company of the country Introduction of sustained release dosage form in the market Commissioning of Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI) plant and introduction of suppository dosage form Introduction of Metered Dose Nasal Spray UNICEF approval of BPL as an enlisted supplier Contract manufacturing agreement of Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI) with Glaxo SmithKline Introduction of Small Volume Parenteral (SVP) products Establishment of Analgesic-Antiinflammatory bulk drug plant Won the first prize of ICAB National Awards 2000 for 'Best Published Accounts and Reports' in Non-Financial Sector Category The first Bangladeshi company to supply pharmaceuticals to Raffles Hospital- the most prestigious hospital of Singapore 2003 Received "National Export Trophy (Gold)" for consecutive 2 years (1998-99, 1999-2000) Won the Silver prize of ICAB National Awards 2003 for 'Best Published Accounts and Reports' in Non-Financial Sector Category Won a tender to supply Neoceptin R and Neofloxin to Raffles Hospital of Singapore for the whole year's consumption Introduced Anti-HIV drugs for the first time in Bangladesh Diversification into Anti-Cancer therapeutic class 2004 Signed contract with Novartis to manufacture their liquid and suppository products under

"Toll Manufacturing" agreement Visit of Saudi delegates headed by Hon'ble HealthMinister, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Quality
At BPL, total quality control refers to the process of producing a perfect product by a series of measures. This requires an organized effort by the entire company to prevent or eliminate errors at every stage in production.It is supported by a team effort. Our quality assurance establishes control or checkpoint to finally ensure the quality of the products during production and upon completion of the manufacturing. It starts with raw materials and component testing and includes in-process, packaging, labelling and finished product testing as well as batch auditing and stability monitoring A highly dedicated academically sound and professionally competent team comprising of pharmacists, chemists, biochemists, microbiologists, engineers & others is making relentless efforts to offer the best in terms of product quality. In every step, from the procurement of raw materials to the manufacturing of finished products, the latest World Health Organization (WHO) approved current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) are being followed. There are written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for every process and step involved which are being closely monitored to ensure that all concerned personnel are complying with these procedures BPLs Q.C. lab is well equipped with most modern and sophisticated equipment like, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Infrared IR) Spectrophotometer, Ultraviolet (UV) Spectrophotometer, Homogenizer, In-vitro Bioavailability Tester, Lung Simulator, Disintegrator, Dissolution Tester & many other latest computer aided instruments & accessories to ensure the highest quality products

Manufacturing
Being a responsible leader we take everything quite seriously. We dont simply believe in introducing new molecules; we also believe in creating the difference in the market place by offering impeccable quality BPL stands on the heritage of bringing innovative medicine to people. One of our key guiding principles is to operate through "customer channels". We put the customer at the center of all our activities. Commitment to our customers is one of the hallmarks of BPL. Our products are all intended to help people to live healthy lives. BPLs portfolio features a range of high-quality, effective products, some are the first of their kind and many are ranked number one in their therapeutic area. A team of highly qualified people sets our product features and attributes. Arts and science are blended together inside our products. Our products are designed and engineered in such a manner that their overall presentation, size, shape, color, flavor, viscosity, coating etc. are completely different from those of the competitors.Formula E is formulated with an excellent chocolate taste. Ascobex and Carocet are the best tasting

drugs in their respective categories. Aristovit B and Aristovit M are the most elegant drugs in their categories in the country. Whatever may be the dosage form or packaging blister, strip, bottle, cartons, labels etc., BPLs presentations are widely recognized for their best aesthetic look among all competitive brands.
Diversification

The strength of Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. lies in its diversified products and dosage forms. BPL has been producing solid products like tablets and capsules and liquid products like syrup, suspension and solution, as well as semisolid products like cream and ointment. We are the pioneer company to manufacture and market nasal sprays, inhalation aerosols and suppositories in Bangladesh. In 2001, Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. stepped into a new path--bringing Small Volume Parenteral (SVP) or injectable dosage form. Arixon is our first small volume injectable product. It is a preparation of Ceftriaxone, which is considered as a breakthrough antibiotic in the history of medicine, particularly because it is safe to be used in children as well as adults. Arixon is also the first injection in Bangladesh to offer four-layer protection against counterfeit--flip-off cap, aluminum seal with imprinted brand name, blister pack and security seal on commercial pack. In 2002, Arixon is predicted to be one of our leading brands in terms of sales revenue. As the second step, we introduced Intracef injection, a preparation of Cephradine.Intracef is a renowned brand and already available as capsule, suspension and pediatric drops. Launching of Intracef injection further strengthens the brand and offers an opportunity to promote the different dosage forms in one promotional exposure. Arixon and Intracef injection are our first SVP products and we will introduce other exciting products in the future

R&D
BPL is a company that is continuously searching for the next treatment advancements. BPL's portfolio features a range of high-quality, effective products.This product portfolio, combined with the steady stream of promising new products in development, is one of the many reasons BPL is among the nation's leading pharmaceutical companies. We have introduced 26 new products in 2001. Around 70 new products are in our development pipeline. They will obviously enrich our portfolio to a great extent.

R&D Team
We are continuously thriving to support our valued customers with advanced and latest medicines. To materialize the same, R & D has been divided into two teams. Team-I is responsible for the improvement of existing formulations and team-II is engaged in the development of new formulations.

Doctor's List
The "Doctor list" has been adopted from the Medical Publication QIMP. Alphabetic order has been maintained in each section of specialty. Any address addition, change or update in doctor's address may be done by sending an E-mail and mail to BPL operational headquarters .

Anaesthesiologist Chest Physician Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons Diabetologists & Endocrinologists Dermatologists Dental Surgeons ENT Specialists

Nephrologists Neurophysicians Neuro Surgeons Orthopaedic Surgeons Psychiatrists Paediatricians Paediatric Surgeons Physicians Plastic Surgeons Physical Medicine Radiation Oncologist Radiotherapist Sex Disease & Infertility Sonologist Urologist

Eye Specialists

Gastroenterologist / Hepatologists General Surgeons

Gastrointestinal & Hepatobiliary Surgeons Gynaecologists & Obstetrician Hematologist / Oncologist Laparaocapic Surgeons

Medicine Specialists