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 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 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.
