Pahang to be hub of vaccine production

Pahang to be hub of vaccine production

KUANTAN will be a leading hub for vaccine production when a Pahang state subsidiary and local pharmaceutical companies launch a full-scale project involving technology transfer from Russia.

Within two years, the joint-venture between the parties will see the setting up of the world's first tetravalent vaccine that can fight all four types of dengue fever.

The local parties are the state-owned Pahang Technology Resources (PTR) Sdn Bhd, Biopharma Today Sdn Bhd and Medical Today Sdn Bhd, while the Russian pharmaceutical companies are Abiolek LLC and NT Pharma, a Moscow-based company partially owned by its government.

Headed by prominent professors in their own fields, NT Pharma is also involved in the development and manufacturing of new-generation vaccines and biopharmaceutical products based on nano-technology.

Menteri Besar and PTR chairman Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the estimated cost of the vaccine plant was US$30 million (RM96 million) while another US$50 million would be allocated for dengue research and development projects.

"The projected revenue for the first 10 years is about US$476 million. The Russian technology will enable the facility to reduce vaccine production time by half.

"This is a crucial advantage given the rapid development of epidemics and pandemics as soon as new strains of flu viruses spread around the world," he said here yesterday.

Present were PTR executive director Datuk Sharifah Fatimah Syed Omar and its chief executive officer Sazali Mohd Nor.

Read more: Pahang to be hub of vaccine production - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/pahang-to-be-hub-of-vaccine-production-1.290302#ixzz2Upy9IQsM

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