After meeting with President-elect Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Friday, Bangladesh’s ambassador expressed interest in assisting the Philippines in strengthening its pharmaceutical industry.

Borhan Uddin, Bangladesh’s ambassador to the Philippines, said he and Marcos discussed how to further Manila and Dhaka’s pharmaceutical collaboration.

“We have a very booming pharmaceutical sector in Bangladesh,” According to Uddin, the South Asian country sells medications to more than 140 countries.

He added, “So we are hoping to enhance our cooperation in this sector also. And maybe, there will be some investment from Bangladesh in the Philippines in this sector,”

Bangladesh is also looking forward to cooperating with the Philippines to enhance indigenous generic drug production, according to the ambassador.

“We are working on it and hopefully we will do it,” he said.

Shambhu Kumaran, India’s ambassador to the Philippines, had stated that India hopes to assist the Philippines in strengthening its domestic pharmaceutical production capabilities.

The Philippines is expected to become a more attractive market for pharmaceutical companies, according to the government. According to the Philippine News Agency, the Board of Investments stated it will support a strategy to develop the local pharmaceutical industry and enhance exports.