The National Drug Policy (NDP), 1982, of Bangladesh was expected to make available essential, good quality drugs at affordable prices. This article gives an overview of the situation today, more than two decades after the Drugs (Control) Ordinance, 1982, was promulgated to implement the NDP. While there have been some successes, many of the goals of this initiative are yet to be achieved. Inadequate supply of essential drugs, substandard quality, uncontrolled drug prices and inappropriate uses of drugs are major problems in Bangladesh.