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Wednesday November 18, 2009

Novartis, SBC sign pact on biotech venture


Tie-up aimed at developing novel bioactive compounds in S’wak

KUALA LUMPUR: Global drug company Novartis AG and the Sarawak Biodiversity Council (SBC) have sealed a formal pact to jointly develop novel bioactive compounds found in the state, while a local company plans to export its own developed dental implant.

Malaysia’s biotechnology sector is still in the nascent stage, but the growing number of participants at the BioMalaysia Conference & Exhibition 2009 is testament to its rising importance.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in his opening speech at the three-day event yesterday, said a complete ecosystem was needed to nurture the biotech industry, and the Government knew that developing such industry took time.

Azman Jufri: ‘We estimate the local demand for dental implant is around 6,000 a year.’

“It needs strong collaborative partnerships traversing public and private sectors, academicians and business people, conglomerates and entrepreneurs as well as inter-ministries and agencies,” he said.

Novartis and SBC yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the eventual aim of commercialising potential new findings.

Malaysian Biotechnology Corp (BiotechCorp) is also involved in the project, which has been billed “the first of its kind public-private partnership initiative in the area of drug discovery.”

BiotechCorp will facilitate funding requirements for SBC and Novartis.

Meanwhile, a local medical firm Delphax Sdn Bhd is ready to market its own developed product overseas.

“Novella Ultima, a one-piece dental implant, is 100% developed by Malaysians,” Delphax managing director Azman Jufri told reporters at the launching ceremony yesterday.

The dental implant was developed by Delphax jointly with dental surgeon Dr Firdaus Hanapiah and supported by Universiti Teknologi Mara.

Azman said the innovative product was relatively cheaper compared to the current imports in the local market.

“We estimate the local demand for dental implant is around 6,000 a year,” he said.

Azman said the product was on the last stage of clinical trials after two years of development. It would be available in the market early next year. Delphax expects the new product to help triple revenue from the current RM6mil a year, boosted by a projected higher sales overseas.

Azman said the group was close to securing the necessary approvals to market the product in Europe and the Middle East.

The dental implant is the second biomedical product developed by Delphax, after a spinal implant product that is already being exported to Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Delphax was established in 1994 as a distributor of medical products. In 2004, it started developing its own medical products after receiving grants from the Government.

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