The Hindu Business Line : Malaysia looking for collaboration in biotech

Hyderabad, Feb. 11 With a budget of $3 billion to boost biotechnology back home in 2009, Malaysia’s BiotechCorphas come to India to seek collaborations and investments.

“Our plan is to at least have 55 ventures firmed up by the end of 2009, with a targeted investment to the tune of $143 million,” said Mr Selvam Ramaraj, Senior Vice-President (Healthcare), BiotechCorp, said.

The Malaysian Government has identified biotechnology as a priority area and offers a host of tax, fund raising facilities and market access to interested companies. It confers a BioNexus status to facilitate it, he told newspersons.

On a promotion tour to Hyderabad, Mr Ramaraj said already there are seven Indian companies, including Aurigene of Dr Reddy’s and the Malladi Group, which have their presence in Malaysia.

In the field of healthcare biotechnology, India is number one, he said.

Good scope for clinical trials (about 500 trials on now), direct access to European markets and free enterprise are some of the positives that are touted by BiotechCorp to attract foreign companies.

“We are not looking at a manufacturing base (like Singapore), but a long term view of building capacity, infrastructure, research base and products so that a sound biotechnology industry is created,” Mr Ramaraj said in response to questions.

Global investors

Malaysia gets global investors from the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and others at present in the biotechnology areas of healthcare, agri, industrial and bioinformatics.

Saamya Biotech, a Hyderabad-based company, has in-principle decided to set up a unit in Malaysia. It has incorporated a subsidiary company, Saamya Biotech (Malaysia), in Kaula Lumpur to manufacture biopharmaceutical products for human use.

The promoter Dr Y. Manivardhan Reddy said the BiotechCorp has offered all the necessary facilities and support for the venture. It is in the final stages and hopefully should be tied up soon, he added.

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