BY FATIHAH MANAF

With the projection that the global halal pharmaceuticals market will increase to US $ 105 billion by 2024 , Malaysia , being the first country with an established halal pharmaceutical standard MS 2424 , is definitely off to a good start .

Therefore , Malaysian pharmaceutical companies need to take this opportunity to adopt the halal standard and further boost their halal pharmaceutical ecosystem .

Wan Amir-Jeffery Wan Abdul Majid , the Chief Operating Officer & Chief Commercial Officer of Duopharma Biotech Berhad , believes the growing demand for halal pharmaceuticals is a good thing but opined that halal was a challenging addition . He said this difficulty was rooted in the different perceptions people have about halal .

“ I look at it ( halal ) very differently . When you slice and dice halal , the basis of it is hygiene . When you talk about halal , you must talk about toyyiban because that is the wholesomeness or the holistic approach of ensuring that everything you produce is well and good for consumption . Halal for phar-

Wan Amir-Jeffery Wan Abdul Majid

maceuticals is what I call the Good Manufacturing Practice ( GMP ) plus aspect of it ,” said Wan Amir-Jeffery . “ We call halal as a GMP Plus because you cannot have halal without GMP , but you can have GMP without halal . If you lose your halal certification , you don ’ t lose your GMP . For you to get halal certification , however , you must have GMP .

“ That ’ s where we need to remember that halal is not just a religious requirement . It ’ s a universal requirement and a universal quality pursued by several countries .” For example , he said the UK authority had acknowledged the various requirements for people of different religions . According to Wan Amir-Jeffery , this growing demand for halal pharmaceuticals needs to be supported by standards . “ Unless supported by standards , it doesn ’ t mean much ,”

said Wan Amir-Jeffery , adding that pharmaceutical players can only materialise the demand projection with the support of an ecosystem and the perception that halal is a necessary standard .

Wan Amir-Jeffery has extensive experience in the development of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries . Holding a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Trade from the University of Central Arkansas , United States , Wan Amir-Jeffery joined Duopharma Biotech in 2016 . Before that , he worked with Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation , Johor Biotechnology & Biodiversity Corporation and J-Biotech Holdings .

About halal pharmaceuticals from the market perspective , Wan-Amir Jeffery said : “ There is still a need to educate consumers on the availability of halal-certified pharmaceutical products such as consumer healthcare and prescription products existing in the market now .”

Wan Amir-Jeffery then spoke to @ HalalXtra on various topics , including his view on halal pharmaceuticals , Duopharma Biotech ’ s halal initiatives and challenges , Duopharma HAPI and the investment in Naluri Hidup .

On halal pharmaceuticals

“ First of all , it is important to understand that not obtaining the halal certification does not mean the pharmaceutical products are not halal ,” explained Wan Amir-Jeffery .

He pointed out pharmaceuticals have one of the highest manufacturing standards with established guidelines and required documentation , making it one of the most stringent processes in the world .

Wan Amir-Jeffery highlighted halal pharmaceuticals were regarded as an emerging sector , particularly for prescription products . He also mentioned many pharmaceutical players were beginning to understand the requirements of producing halal pharmaceutical products .

“ As pharmaceutical manufacturers , we are already subjected to a variety of stringent regulatory requirements such as GMP , toxicology studies , clinical trials , etc .”

When halal-certified , he said the company must adopt additional conditions from the Shariah perspective on the raw materials such as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients ( API ), excipients and packaging materials . It also involves the overall processes from research & development ( R & D ), production , logistics , and distribution .

He explained this additional layer of assurance also meant the adherence to a different set of rules described in MS 2424:2019 , Halal Pharmaceuticals – general requirements developed by the Department of Standards Malaysia and the halal certification processes under the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia ( JAKIM ).

“ Halal certification is a voluntary certification which means it is a company ’ s choice to acquire the certification ,” shared Wan Amir-Jeffery .

On Duopharma ’ s halal initiatives

Wan Amir-Jeffery said the company had engaged with multiple universities such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ( UKM ), University Teknologi Mara ( UiTM ) and Universiti Sains Malaysia ( USM ) to develop entrepreneurship skills and halal