Agila Specialties (Malaysia) SDN BHD, the specialties subsidiary of Strides Arcolab and Malaysian Bio-XCell SDN BHD (Bio-XCell) today exchanged agreements for the establishment of a customized facility to manufacture biopharmaceuticals and sterile injectables in the Bio-XCell ecosystem in Johor, Malaysia.

The agreement was exchanged by Adam Levitt, CEO- Americas of Strides Arcolab Ltd, and Raja Ridzwa Raja Abdul Aziz, CEO of Bio-XCellin in  the presence of the Malaysian deputy prime minister Sri MuhyiddinYassin, during the BIO International Convention 2011 in Washington DC.

At the conclusion of the signing, Adam Levitt said that Malaysia provides a strategic location to expand its manufacturing operations. The attractive financial incentives by the Malaysian government and the presence of a Pharma/Biotech ecosystem were the catalysts to our decision.

The project will be built by Bio-XCell to the design requirements of Strides and will be leased out to Strides on a long-term basis. The lease rentals are applicable from the date of commercialization which supports the biotech strategy of Strides where there is a long gestation period from development to commercialization.

In the light of Agila’s partnerships with global pharmaceutical corporations, the establishment of a facility in Bio-XCell represents a strategic move to further bolster Agila’s manufacturing presence in the region.

With a world class sterile injectables platform, robust product pipeline and record regulatory filings, hi-tech manufacturing capacities across countries, an impeccable record of quality and marquee customers and partners across the healthcare industry, Agila is poised to be a major anchor tenant for the Bio-XCell ecosystem.

The facility in Bio-XCell will join 8 world class specialty manufacturing facilities under Strides Arcolab worldwide – including one of the largest steriles capacity in India and amongst the largest lyophilization (freeze drying) capacities in the world – in supplying finished products to its quality and marquee customers.

“The addition of Agila Specialties to the Bio-XCell ecosystem reflects the strong market acceptance Bio-XCell has earned since its launch in last year’s BIO International Convention,” YM Raja Ridzwa said.

Agila joins Biocon of India, Metabollic Explorer from France and Glycos Biotechnologies of the USA as the early entrants into the Bio-XCell ecosystem. The site is supported by a network of five seaports and two international airports, all within 59km from the park. The ecosystem at Bio-XCell is designed for industrial and healthcare biotechnology with a focus on manufacturing and R&D&C.