Hovid manufacturing licence for Ipoh plant reinstated

PETALING JAYA: Pharmaceutical company Hovid Bhd said the manufacturing licence for its plant in Ipoh, Perak, has been reinstated and normal operations have resumed.

With this, the group has resumed full manufacturing capacity. The company’s share price went up half a sen on the news yesterday, closing at 36.5 sen. This brings it almost back to the levels seen prior to the announcement of the closure of two of its plants in January this year.

Recall that the manufacturing licences of two of its plants were revoked following an audit conducted by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) that revealed its non-compliance with the latest Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements.

The group’s manufacturing licence for its plant in Chemor, Perak, was reinstated last March.

In a statement yesterday, Hovid said the manufacturing licence for its Ipoh plant is valid from May 5, 2017. It has to be renewed three months prior to the expiry date on Dec 31, 2017.

“We would like to thank NPRA for their speed and efficiency, in auditing and reinstating the manufacturing license for all Hovid’s plants,” it said.

Hovid said it has implemented increased measures to ensure the stringent pharma cGMP standards are adhered to and this has contributed to NPRA reinstating its licences.

All of Hovid’s products are safe to consume and are in accordance with NPRA’s pharmaceutical quality system guidelines, the company added.