Kedah, 10 September 2014 – Asean’s first Intraocular Lens manufacturing facility established in Kedah, operated by Abbott Medical Optics, a division of Abbott, has held its project commencement ceremony today. The groundbreaking event was held here at Kulim Hi-Tech Park, and was witnessed by the Chief Minister of Kedah, YAB Dato’ Seri Haji Mukhriz Tun Mahathir.

This investment by Abbott, the global healthcare company, will reinforce Northern Region’s position as an established BioMedical hub. “With the setting-up of Abbott’s facility in Kedah, Malaysia is now at a transformational stage where we are able to attract medical device investments of high-end manufacturing with innovative technologies. This will certainly help elevate economic and technical value to the Malaysian economy, and will create employment opportunities,” commented Dato’ Dr Mohd Nazlee Kamal, CEO of BiotechCorp at the ground breaking ceremony.

BiotechCorp was instrumental in bringing the investment by Abbott to Malaysia, and the investment received strong facilitation from North Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) and Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) in terms of vendor management support and customised incentives.

In the recent years, Malaysia has diverted its focus to higher value medical device products and strengthening the ecosystem for this sector. The Abbott facility has been classified as a greenfield project for Intraocular Lens (implantable lens into the eye) that involves high technology and high risk classification.

“Malaysia is moving up in the manufacturing chain from simple medical devices, to more complex, advanced devices that are more high-value add in terms of technological know-how,” added Dato’ Dr Mohd Nazlee Kamal.

Kedah will provide Abbott with ready access to technically skilled and educated workforce, as well as infrastructure in terms of supporting industries.

BiotechCorp is a Malaysian Government agency under the purview of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), acts as the prime mover of the nation’s bioeconomy and viable ecosystem for the bio-based industry in Malaysia.