The collaboration marks the pharmaceutical group expansion in the international market 

by AZREEN HANI / pic courtesy of Pharmaniaga

PHARMANIAGA Bhd has partnered with Prime Healthcare Group, one of United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) leading healthcare service providers, marking its expansion in the international market, especially in the Middle East. 

The partnership was sealed with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pharmaniaga’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Pharmaniaga Manufacturing Bhd (PMB), and Prime Medical Store LLC, a subsidiary of Prime Healthcare on March 30. 

The MoU will serve as the foundation in establishing the framework that will grant Prime Medical the exclusive right to register, import, promote, market, sell and distribute PMB’s pharmaceutical products in the UAE. 

It was signed between Pharmaniaga group MD Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope and Prime Medical director (operations) Mohammed Faiz Abdul Hameed. 

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob together with Pharmaniaga chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Mohd Rafique and Prime Medical board of director Essa Al Ghurair. 

A prominent company in UAE, Prime Healthcare operates 15 medical centres, 15 Medprime pharmacies, multiple diagnostic centres and a multispecialty hospital, with more than 400 physicians and 1,500 supporting professionals providing advanced medical care to UAE citizens and residents. 

“PMB is a well-established pharmaceutical plant in Malaysia, and with the country being a member of the globally recognised Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme, our plant operations comply with its strict ‘Good Manufacturing Practice’ and quality standards,” Zulkarnain said in a statement. 

PMB is also certified as a halal manufacturing plant by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and manufactures more than 120 pharmaceutical products, with the majority being halal certified by Jakim. 

“This means Pharmaniaga is offering the best of both worlds — international standards and halal pharmaceutical products that will cater to the needs of all consumers, particularly Muslims,” added Zulkarnain. 

“With the halal pharmaceutical market set to grow to US$205 billion (RM863.05 billion) by 2024, we believe the partnership with Prime Healthcare will help to widen our market reach further and contribute significantly to the revenue. Dubai will be our base to bring our products to other countries in the Middle East, Africa and even Europe,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Zainal Abidin described this collaboration as a momentous event for the group and an opportunity to leverage on each other’s capabilities and strengths. 

“We believe and are confident that this partnership will result in a more robust ecosystem for both companies as Prime Healthcare is among the reputable pharmaceutical service providers with a highly-skilled workforce and technological expertise in UAE’s local healthcare industry,” he said.