Malaysia attracts biotechnology partners
Bio-XCell park aims to become Asia’s new biotechnology hub
Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp) is boosting Malaysia’s biotechnology industry through a series of agreements and collaborations between Malaysian Bio-XCell, a biotechnology ecosystem for industrial and healthcare biotechnology, with a focus on manufacturing and r&d, and other Malaysian entities and global biotechnology partners.
The four collaborations include an MYR84m (US$28m; €19m) agreement with Agila Specialties, a subsidiary of Strides Arcolabs, one of India’s leading integrated manufacturers of branded and generic finished pharmaceutical dosage forms, to establish a customised facility to manufacture biopharmaceuticals and sterile injectables in the Bio-XCell ecosystem. The facility is expected to be operational by 2013.
Bio-XCell will collaborate with MOX-Linde Gases Sdn Bhd, the leading industrial gas supplier in Malaysia, which will involve MOX-Linde Gases setting up an integrated industrial gas manufacturing and separation plant and electronics specialist gases warehouse for use of the biotechnology companies located in the park, as well as the greater Southern Industrial Logistics Clusters in Nusajaya, Iskandar, Malaysia.
MOX-Linde will invest around MYR5m in the first phase of the project to install the supply infrastructure and facilities.
The firm expects to invest up to MYR30m in the project as more biotechnology players are attracted to set up operations in the Bio-XCell park.
A technology licensing agreement between Lestari Pasifik with Arter Biofuel Products marks Malaysia’s debut in the global biorefinery arena and a tie-up between Pristine Oil and Bio Protein will see both parties collaborate to establish a manufacturing plant in Malaysia for the production of bioprotein, using a patented technology to replace the conventional fishmeal production.