| Local News | january-february , 2021 | The Health
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Ho Wah Genting gets NPRA nod
Ho Wah Genting Bhd has received approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency ( NPRA ), Ministry of Health ( MoH ) for its health supplement Astramern Astra H .
The company said in a statement on Jan 19 that its wholly-owned subsidiary , Astramern Sdn Bhd , obtained full pharmaceutical product registration approval from the NPRA .
HWGB Biotech Sdn Bhd ’ s ( HWGB Biotech ) general manager , medical & pharmaceutical research , Dr Yaman Walid Kassab said : “ This approval is key in getting the Astramern Astra H dietary supplement into the market for distribution .”
The NPRA ’ s full approval for the health supplement and traditional medicine is granted for a maximum period of five years commencing Jan 14 , 2021 to Jan 14 , 2026 and is renewable .
As part of HWGB ’ s diversification into the healthcare business , HWGB Biotech Sdn Bhd ( HWGB Biotech ) entered into several agreements with various parties involved in healthcare products since early last year .
One of its venture included the appointment of San Diego-based and Nasdaq-listed Guardion Health Sciences Inc ( GHSI ) to design and manufacture an exclusive custom immune support nutraceutical
Technology company Sedania Innovator Bhd is bullish on its growth prospect next year as it explores new business opportunities and strengthens its existing portfolios actively in 2021 .
The increased adoption of technology in healthcare services has put the group in a favourable position to leverage the changing consumption patterns in the industry .
Its Founder and Managing Director Datuk Azrin Mohd Noor said the prospects for health technology ( health tech ) in Malaysia are looking up , offering huge potential and space for growth in the healthcare sector .
“ As for the Malaysian health tech landscape , this year alone , we are seeing health tech startups mushrooming over a short period of eight months since the Movement Control Order ( MCO ).
“ We expect the proposed acquisition and our venture towards health tech to contribute strongly in 2021 ,” he told The Malaysian Reserve in an email interview recently .
The group had in early November , proposed to buy a 51 per cent stake in Offspring Inc Sdn Bhd from Sedania Corp Sdn Bhd for RM15.12 million cash as part of a diversification into consumer products specialising in
formula , namely two health supplements , Astramern Nutra V and Astramern Astra H .
Astramen Astra H contains specially formulated Chinese herbs that helps boost the body ’ s immune system to fight germs . The key ingredient of the health supplement is the Astragalus extract , which is commonly known for its efficacy in traditional Chinese medicine , HWGB said .
The Astramern Astra H , which comes in capsule form , also contains ginger root extract that is high in gingerol and also licorice extract which have properties to soothe stomach ailments , cleanses the respiratory system while also able to ease the pressure from stress and complement cancer treatment . Apart from distribution of
Sedania bullish on 2021 prospects
Datuk Azrin Mohd Noor
healthcare , personal care , household , and baby and childcare .
The proposed acquisition comes with a profit guarantee of RM3.8
Covid-19 diagnostic kits and dietary supplements , HWGB Biotech has also ventured into producing Covid-19 vaccine .
HWGB Biotech has partnered with E-Mo Biology Inc ( EBI ), a US-based company working towards repurposing Oral Polio Vaccine ( OPV ) to develop a preventative Covid-19 vaccine .
HWGB Biotech will be granted exclusive rights for the production , distribution and sale of the repurposed OPV vaccine against Covid-19 vaccine in Southeast Asia .
On Feb 2 , HWGB announced that HWGB Biotech had been granted a pharmacist ’ s poisons licence from the Pharmaceutical Services Division of the MoH to import and distribute healthcare products , medications and vaccines .
million for the financial year 2020 ( FY20 ) and FY21 , which will help improve the group ’ s consolidated profit .
Azrin said the move provides an opportunity for the company to venture into health tech and diversify its earnings base by providing an additional income stream .
“ Two potential products that we are looking at are digital health services and digital health passports . We hope this new segment can contribute significantly to the
Briefs
Agrobank contributes to Tabung Covid-19
Agrobank contributed RM1 million of its zakat fund to ‘ Tabung Covid-19 ’, Ministry of Health Malaysia ( MOH ) which is a donation fund to be used for the purchase of medical equipment , medicines , reagents , disposable items and other medical necessities .
A Zakat Contribution Presentation Ceremony was held on Dec 3 , 2020 at MOH , Putrajaya which saw Datuk Mustapha Buang , Chairman of Agrobank presenting the mock cheque to Health Minister Datuk Sri Dr Adham Baba . The ceremony was also attended by Khadijah Iskandar , Covering President / CEO of Agrobank .
According to Mustapha , Agrobank , as a responsible corporate citizen and aware of the challenges faced by MoH in combating the Covid-19 pandemic , is pleased to be able to lend a helping hand in supporting frontliners battling the pandemic .
“ With the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases , we hope with our contribution , it will assist MoH financially and enable them to provide the best medical care to Covid-19 patients ,” he said .
Vista Eye Specialist addresses mental impact of Covid-19
Since the Covid-19 pandemic started , the possibility of job loss , pay cuts and less social interaction has given rise to increasing mental disorders .
“ To take the focus away , Vista Eye Specialist ( Vista ) implemented an upskilling program to help staff reflect , develop and prepare for 2021 using experiential learning and gamification methodology . The objective is to create a positive workplace environment where staff will experience ‘ 10x More Fun , 10x More Learning and 10x More Staff Engagement ’” said Chief of Human Resource Monica Wong .
The program focused on three key areas of : 1 . Mental Well Being : To distract staff from the stress of the Covid-19 issues ,
2 . Self-Discovery : To allow staff to reflect their year in 2020 achieving self-realization and planning for 2021 , and lastly
3 . Edutainment : To educate and train the staff with a fun and entertaining program The Upskilling program was based on the award-winning Netflix docuseries - ‘ Next in Fashion ’, a fashion design reality TV competition .
company ’ s profits .
“ On the community front , the strategic collaboration with Offspring on the development of digital healthcare tech solutions is meant to provide accessible health technologies to the masses ,” he added .
Moving forward , Sedania Innovator will continue to enable and strengthen its financial technology ( fintech ) business as its beech head , concurrently , maintaining a steady pace for the other business verticals including green tech , telco tech , Internet of Things and eSports .