BHB Newsletter

Benefits of the DGDA automated drug licensing and renewal system

The automated drug licensing and renewal system (ADLRS), a software established by BHB in partnership with DGDA and an information technology firm, is reducing staff and clients’ (drug shop owners) time and effort. The clients are receiving hassle-free and quicker service at a lower cost. The ADLRS, piloted for two months and officially launched in November 2021, is helping DGDA to streamline the process for issuing licenses and renewals and tracking status.

Previously, it took 15 to 45 days to process a new drug license application. Without a way to receive automated feedback, applicants needed to make several visits to the DGDA offices after submitting their application. This added significant costs to the government fees of BDT 3,000 for travel, middlemen, etc.—up to BDT 38,000. With ADLRS, clients may get a new drug license in 2 to 5 days after submitting a complete application, which is a drastic drop in the time requirement than through the manual system. The service is easy and does not require a middleman, and by paying only the government fee, the total cost for the client is up to 92% less.

Likewise, the client would have to wait from 10 to 20 days and spend up to BDT 7,000 to renew an existing drug license. Now the application processing takes only a few minutes and costs BDT 2,000. The DGDA plans to completely roll out the ADLRS within about six months.

It may be mentioned here that the activities of BHB are implemented with cooperation of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK government.