KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals (DSP), a global leader in sustainable production of antibiotics, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi hosted a Sustainability Through Excellence in Manufacturing (STEM) workshop on advanced, clean, sustainable manufacturing and quality techniques to share best practices with participants from leading pharmaceutical companies in Malaysia. The training and education session was attended by approximately 50 participants across the Manufacturing, R&D, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Control/Assurance and Purchasing sectors.
Factors that commonly contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) include misuse and overuse of antibiotics, as well as rising industrial pollution, particularly pharmaceutical waste. The discharge of pharmaceutical waste into the environment containing antimicrobial activity can contribute to the growth of AMR, even during the production of these life-saving medicines, endangering their future efficacy. DSP recently organized similar awareness workshops on these issues with industry stakeholders in India, UAE, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
Tim Rutten, Business Director AMEA for DSP stated: “Malaysia has a rapidly growing domestic pharmaceutical industry, ably supported by government policies, private investment and public-private collaborations. Antibiotics are the cornerstone of modern health care, curing bacterial infections and enabling advanced medical treatments such as surgery and cancer treatments. To continue the move forward, the pharmaceutical industry must ensure that antibiotics are made, used and taken responsibly to prevent the further growth of AMR. To support this, this workshop addresses important topics such quality by design, cleanest production technologies and responsible waste management.”
The Malaysian Health Ministry has initiated a working committee that called for urgent collaborations amongst different sectors, as part of its One Health Approach, in order to address the gaps and solutions of the AMR situation in the country. The committee opted for four priority areas, as part of the commitments in Malaysia’s National Action Plan on AMR (MyAP-AMR). These include: public awareness and education, surveillance and research, infection prevention and control and appropriate use of antimicrobials.
Under the “One Health” framework, the National Antimicrobial Resistance Committee (NARC) was formed in March 2017. As a part of this, an event-based surveillance protocol will be established in 2018 by developing an alert mechanism for the detection and reporting of newly emerging resistance that could constitute a public health emergency.
Prof. Anurag S. Rathore, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi stated: “While antibiotic resistance is a global challenge, solutions need to be determined at national and regional levels. Consumers, stakeholders and the pharmaceutical industry must be more responsive about the environmental implications of antibiotics residues in pharmaceutical effluents. Next to investments to develop new drugs, sustainable manufacturing processes must continue to develop, while ensuring that quality and affordability concerns remain addressed.”
About DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals:
DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals (DSP) is the global leader in sustainable antibiotics, next-generation statins and anti-fungals. DSP develops, produces and sells intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products. Our employees worldwide work together to deliver cutting-edge generics solutions that help to keep customers ahead of the competition. Headquartered in Singapore, the group has manufacturing sites and sales offices in China, India, Egypt, the Netherlands, Spain, the USA and Mexico. DSP is a 50/50 Joint Venture of Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, and Sinochem Group, a Fortune 500 enterprise.
