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Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2019
Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics
With the rising number of Muslims in the
world, the Brunei government emphasises the
importance of developing the Halal industry,
particularly pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Muslims account for close to a quarter of the
global population and have been major drivers
of the Halal pharmaceuticals and cosmetics
market.
Halal medicines and cosmetics must be
carefully assessed before they are put on the
market. Brunei makes use of its stringent Halal
certification process to ensure products are of
top quality and Halal-certified, gaining the trust
of consumers.
Brunei is one of the first nations to establish
Halal pharmaceutical guidelines in the world.
With Brunei’s stringent Halal certification
process, companies based in Brunei have the
benefit of a well-respected Halal certification
label across their products.
Simpor Pharma Sdn Bhd
Simpor Pharma Sdn Bhd is the first Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant, state-
of-the-art pharmaceutical products and health
supplements manufacturer in Brunei. It is a
BND26 million joint venture between Canadian
Viva Pharmaceutical Inc, private equity fund
Aureous (Brunei) Capital Sdn Bhd and a group
of local investors.
The world’s first Halal pharmaceutical company
has a 100,000-square feet manufacturing facili-
ty situated on a 7.5-acre plot within the Salam-
bigar Industrial Site. The plant is custom-de-
signed and built to meet FDA (US Food and Drug
Administration) pharmaceutical requirements
by design, materials of construction, utilities
including purified water, drains, electrical and
lighting systems. Simpor’s comprehensive prod-
ucts range from soft-gels, tablets, hard shell
capsules and powder and granules to liquids,
creams and gels. It also has natural health
products that consist of herbal medicines, vi-
tamin-mineral supports, food supplements and
dietary preferences.
In February 2017, SP Lifestyle Store, Simpor
Pharma Sendirian Berhad’s first lifestyle store,
officially opened its door at Brunei International
Airport. With the launch of SP Lifestyle Store,
Simpor Pharma hopes to reach out not only to
the local community but also to introduce more
‘Made-in-Brunei’ products to visitors to Brunei.
Sengenics
Sengenics, a genomics and proteomics-based
research and diagnostics company opened its
new DNA sequencing and microarray facility at
Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in 2015. The
partnership between UBD and Sengenics grew
from a research collaboration agreement, which
began in July 2014.
Sengenics’ Brunei-based facility focusses on
two core activities. Firstly, the company offers
commercial services leveraging its patented
autoantibody profiling platform and the clinical
genomics diagnosis pipeline. Secondly, in
collaboration with UBD and supported by the
Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB)
through the Brunei Research Incentive Scheme
(BRISc), Sengenics will embark upon two novel
Halal meat and food related research and
commercialisation projects.
In April 2017, the new Sengenics Immunome
Production Facility was opened in UBD. The
new state of the art facility offers protein
cloning and expression services using the
patented BCCP (Biotin Carboxyl Carrier Protein)
folding marker technology. This will support the
commercially available flagship technology that
is offered by Sengenics, the Immunome Protein
Array Platform, which is used for a variety of
pharmaceutical screening and drug discovery
applications.
MC Biotech Sdn Bhd
Several Japanese companies have invested in
Brunei, generating employment and contributing
to the diversification of Brunei’s economy. One
of them is MC Biotech.
MC Biotech is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi
Corporation and was launched in 2016. With
a strong track record in biotechnology, MC
Biotech produces the antioxidant microalgae
astaxanthin, used in health supplements and
cosmetic products. Astaxanthin is one of
the strongest antioxidants in nature and on
the market. Studies have shown astaxanthin
provides benefits to the immune system and
helps muscle recovery.
Setting up MC Biotech’s production facility
in Brunei has several advantages. As the first
commercial biotechnology facility in Brunei,
MC Biotech is exempt from income tax for 11