KUALA LUMPUR: Pharmaniaga LifeScience Sdn Bhd (PLS), a subsidiary of Pharmaniaga Bhd (Pharmaniaga), is progressing steadily towards establishing the world's first halal vaccine and insulin plants.
The halal biopharmaceutical plants, targeted to be commercialised in 2024 for vaccine and 2025 for insulin, are presently in construction progress and stand at 90 per cent and 70 per cent completion, respectively.
Group managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope said both plants would assist the country's self-sufficiency and reduce import dependency on critical vaccines and insulin.
Zulkarnain said its entire team has worked tirelessly and remains committed to finishing the plants at the expected time.
"The expansion into the biopharmaceutical industry has been planned since 2017, even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Pharmaniaga will be partnering with reputable partners for technology transfers.
"As such, parallelly, registration is ongoing with the authorities for the product to be produced in the facility," he said.
In early October, PLS received shipments of equipment for the vaccine plant, which consist of washer-steriliser, denester, automatic visual inspection (AVI) and labelling machine after completing the factory acceptance tests (FATs) in July this year.
The other remaining FATs for purified water, water for injection and pure steam generator are planned and expected to be completed by December 2022.
Other FATs are to be undertaken before the completion of the halal insulin expansion project.
This will include FATs for labelling and blister packing machines planned for the end of 2022, while FATs for washer-steriliser, cartridge filling machine and AVI machine, which are scheduled for 2023.