Government to buy 19.37 million cycles of contraceptive pills for about Tk 97 crore; Popular Pharmaceuticals to supply

To keep family planning activities running, the government is buying 19,375,000 cycles of oral contraceptive pills at a cost of about Tk 97 crore. The third-generation pills will be supplied by local drug maker Popular Pharmaceuticals PLC.

The purchase proposal was approved on Thursday (12 November) at a meeting of the cabinet committee on government purchase chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury. The total cost has been set at Tk 965,456,250.

The government will spend about Tk 49.82 per pill.

The proposal was placed at the meeting by the Health Education and Family Welfare Division. The pills will be bought under a project titled 'Implementation of unfinished essential family planning, maternal, child and reproductive health services of the completed fourth sector programme'.

According to the purchase proposal, the tender process was completed under package number 2025-26/GD-4A of the 2025-26 fiscal year and tender ID 1320399. Popular Pharmaceuticals PLC was selected as the recommended bidder.

The proposal was reviewed at the meeting and approval was given to buy the contraceptive pills.