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KUALA LUMPUR (December 7): My EG Services Bhd (MyEG) and Yong Tai Bhd have become the latest two companies to jump on the vaccine distribution train.
MyEG announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co Ltd (Zhifei) to obtain Malaysian halal certification for the Covid-19 vaccine from the Chinese biopharmaceutical company and to exclusively distribute the vaccine in Malaysia by three- period of the year.
The two groups agreed to cooperate in conducting phase 3 clinical trials of the Zhifei vaccine in Malaysia and achieving compliance with halal status requirements to ensure halal certification from the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (Jakim), MyEG said. it’s a statement.
He said the beginning of Phase 3 trials will make Zhifei’s vaccine one of the first to undergo final-stage trials in Malaysia under the purview of the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Shares of MyEG, which rose as much as 17.4% this morning, trimmed some of the gains to close 4.97% or nine sen higher at RM1.90, with some 114.9 million shares traded. This gives the group a market capitalization of RM6.94 billion. The stock is up 72.7% year-to-date (YTD) with a 38.7% jump in the last five weeks.
Property developer Yong Tai also plans to venture into the vaccine business. Last Friday, it announced plans to collaborate with China-based Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co Ltd for the exclusive development and commercialization of the Covid-19 vaccine in Malaysia.
Yong Tai topped the list of active stocks in Bursa Malaysia today with 860.89 million shares traded. It closed two sen or 5.48% higher at 38.5 sen, valuing the company at RM401.08 million. Over the last five weeks, the counter has soared 171.4%. Before this, it remained below the 20 sen level for more than a year.
In addition to MyEG and Yong Tai, four other companies, Ho Wah Genting Bhd, Kanger International Bhd, Solution Group Bhd, and Bintai Kinden Corp Bhd, have also announced partnerships related to the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. It should be noted that three of them are also in collaboration with groups based in China.
To date, the share prices of all these companies have risen enormously due to the large amount of positive news about vaccine development, led by Solution Group (up 1,942%) and followed by Bintai Kinden (1,109%), Ho Wah Genting (748%). ) and Kanger (125%).
In September, Ho Wah Genting, who has been designated a distributor of a Covid-19 diagnostic kit developed in China in Malaysia until the end of the year, signed a memorandum of understanding with Xinkexian (Beijing) Biotechnology Co Ltd (XKX) for a possible partnership. .
Ho Wah Genting is considering naming XKX as its non-exclusive manufacturer to produce Covid-19 vaccines.
Kanger, who is also venturing into the rubber glove manufacturing business, said in September that it had signed a collaboration agreement with Sinopharm Group Hunan Changde Medical Co Ltd related to the distribution of Covid-19 vaccine and equipment products. doctors in Malaysia.
The products are developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group Corp, one of the oldest and largest biotechnology companies in China.
While Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine was already approved for emergency use in July, it is also understood that the vaccines are currently in Phase 3 trials, the final stage before being approved for general use in more than 10 countries.
In addition, Kanger has contracted with Zuellig Pharma Sdn Bhd, the largest vaccine distributor in Malaysia and Asia, and K-Star Sport Ltd to assist in the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in Malaysia.
Additionally, in the same month, the Solution Group subsidiary forged a partnership with China-based CanSino Biologics Inc to market and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine in Malaysia. The vaccine, Adenovirus Type 5 Vector, will be registered after completing a phase 3 clinical trial with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency of Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Bintai Kinden in October signed a distribution and license agreement with US-based Generex Biotechnology Corp and its subsidiary NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology Inc for its Covid-19 vaccine.
Under the agreement, the company has the exclusive right to distribute, sell and market the vaccine in Southeast Asia. It also has the right of first refusal to commercially exploit the vaccine in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in the global halal market.
Generex, whose vaccine is still in the preclinical trial stage, aims to gain approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in the first or second quarter of 2021.
Inix Technologies Holdings Bhd, which has risen 900% to date, announced in September that it was in initial discussions with parties developing a Covid-19 vaccine. However, no updates have been made since then.
In July, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had given the go-ahead to the two government-linked pharmaceutical companies, Pharmaniaga Bhd and Duopharma Biotech Bhd, to carry out the processes. filling and finishing of a Covid-19. vaccine, once the country insures it.
Shares of Duopharma Biotech were up 166.2% year-on-year to 3.78 yuan, while those of Pharmaniaga were up 159.7% to 5.35.
Other pharmaceutical companies that have benefited from the flow of positive vaccine news are Apex Healthcare Bhd (up 65.2% to date) and Kotra Industries Bhd (up 64.4% to date).
Speaking at Dewan Rakyat today, Khairy said that private negotiations conducted in relation to Covid-19 vaccines by private companies have nothing to do with government procurement of vaccines for the country.
Malaysia is the first country in Southeast Asia to announce an agreement with the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer to buy 12.8 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine.
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