July-august. 2020 | @Halal
Industry
05
The emergence of the whole concept of
halal in healthcare is one example of a global
catalyst that is realigning the efforts of governments
and industries towards the needs
and demand of the individual consumer.
Stronger COmmunity in
the HALAL pHArmACEutiCAL
eco-system
The discussions also underlined the fact that
a solid community in the halal pharmaceutical
industry can be established by educating
the frontliners, particularly pharmacists,
on the knowledge of halal backed by a wellstructured
code of ethics.
In Malaysia, the code of ethics for the
healthcare industry is not only on the ethics
in pharmaceutical product manufacturing,
but also ethics when dealing with patients or
customers. The role of a pharmacist becomes
more eminent as halal certified products have
emerged in the pharmaceutical ecosystem.
Amrahi suggested a pharmacist should
have the best knowledge on the concept of
halal and be able to identify halal medicines
to better serve customers or patients.
He said: “The pharmacist should know
the difference between a halal medicine
and a halal certified medicine. This is very
fundamental because not all halal medicines
are halal certified. But the pharmacists must
make sure they know.
“Looking into the educational institution,
future pharmacists must be trained with
pharmacy ethics. Every pharmacist must go
to the highest level – a 9-star pharmacist - a
pharmacist who is able to serve the patient.”
There was also a proposal that information
on the status of a medicine be made available
in a single system so that members of the
healthcare industry, including doctors and
nurses, may access it on a 24-hours basis.
Amrahi described it as a “missing link” in
the halal pharmaceutical arena.
He further remarked there was the need
for the global halal industry to establish a
halal pharmacopeia as a finer reference. The
halal pharmacopoeia would list ingredients
categorised as halal including chemicals
and non-chemicals to make it easier for
consumers to identify the halal products in
the market.
On the need of a halal pharmacopoeia,
Leonard Ariff said it should be an international
initiative among Islamic countries to
develop a singular halal pharmacopoeia.
Leonard Ariff believed consumers, especially
Muslims, were not being vocal enough
about the demands that they want, mainly on
how the medications may be in continent to
their faith. The market for halal pharmaceutical
products can only be increased if there is
a demand.
There is a need for manufacturers to
understand the needs of Muslims and that
can begin by respecting the demands of the
Muslims in order to make sure that the products,
especially patented products, actually
meet the needs of religious beliefs.
“But that is not going to happen unless the
Muslim population itself is more vocal about
the need for medicines to be in continent to
the faith of a group of patients,” said Leonard
Ariff.
He said developing a market starts from
the consumer. And in the case of halal
pharmaceutical products, it starts from both
Muslim and non-Muslim patients.
Prioritisation and
coordination viTAL
One effort needed to mainstream the halal
pharmaceutical ecosystem is through the
support of financial institutions. Dr Ammar
said banks currently have a comparative
advantage in supporting the halal pharmaceutical
industry.
“We are prioritising and supporting
efforts to strengthen primary healthcare.
Amrahi Buang
Dato' Dr. Zaki Morad
Mohamad Zaher
Dr Ammar Abdo Ahmed
Tehmina Kaoosji
FRUITFUL WEBINAR: (from left to right) Amrahi Buang, Chief Executive Officer of HDC, Hairol
Ariffein Sahari, Tehmina Kaoosji and Leonard Ariff.
Establishing a
collaborative platform
Tapping the lucrative halal pharmaceutical
market has to be done as a collaborative
effort.
Senior Global Health Specialist of Islamic
Development Bank (IsDB) Dr Ammar
Abdo Ahmed said creating and enabling
an environment for halal industries will
require an ethics committee with national
regulatory authority and manufacturing in
member countries or perhaps setting up a
bio pharmaceutical association.
Duopharma Biotech Berhad Group
Managing Director Leonard Ariff Abdul
Shatar suggested for the prospects in the
halal pharmaceutical ecosystem to take
precedence and be coordinated with the
national healthcare industry, there should
ideally be minimum government intervention
in the pharmaceutical industry.
He suggested there should be a
“gatekeeper” to ensure the products allowed
to be dispensed in Malaysia are products that
should not harm patients or consumers.
The “gatekeeper” will assist in ensuring
At the same time we are also supporting the
National Health Financing Strategy as an
initiative towards the universal health cooperation,”
said Dr Ammar.
The initiative is a part of IsDB’s six pillars
on innovative financing which points out an
investment for bio-pharma.
In accordance to the bank’s five-year
programme, IsDB rolls on three strategic
objectives; improving the health governance
consolidating the health infrastructure in
member countries, improving the financial
protection of a country’s population and
improving the health financial system.
“Today, we are looking at an end-to-end
value chain, starting from the demand to
the supply side. In this aspect, we would be
happy to have a bankable proposal from the
bio-pharma industry,” said Dr Ammar.
In setting for a sturdier halal pharmaceutical
eco-system, Leonard mentioned:
the safety of products, the quality of
manufacturing, the efficacy of the product as
consumers may not have a way of knowing
this.
Leonard said: “I don’t think we can have a
laissez-faire type of system. I think it will be
very dangerous. This is a tight rope that the
regulatory authorities always have to face.
“One part is that they may know what it
supposed to be delivered to the patient. But,
they have to work against over-regulating as
that would create costs,” he added.
There are numerous initiatives that
can be carried out to fully firm up the halal
pharmaceutical industry in Malaysia.
Malaysia stands today ready to facilitate
the successful entry of the domestic
pharmaceutical manufacturers into the global
halal market – which is estimated to become
US$134 billion by 2024.
Also, a collaborative platform is Malaysia’s
strength. This approach will help drive the
momentum as the country gradually grows
towards a digital nation.
“One of our biggest item on the wish list
is the harmonization of accreditation
globally.”
Corporations and companies involved in
pharmaceuticals need two things - consistency
and clarity. Global Islamic institutions
can consider the accreditation to be taken up
centrally, as such product manufacturers only
following through a single standard.
“I see a large role in global Islamic
institutions taking a lead when it comes to
harmonisation from the regulatory side and
similarly harmonization in the requirements
for the manufacturing side of things,” said
Leonard Ariff.
From a manufacturer’s perspective, there
is a need for clarity to ensure the work carried
out to manufacture the product including raw
materials used, meets a particular minimum
standard where the halal pharmacopoeia
comes into play.