MALAYSIA CAN SOURCE BIRD FLU VACCINE FROM IRAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will be able to control the bird
flu and foot-and-mouth disease soon with vaccines imported from Iran.

The vaccines, offered to Malaysia by Iranian-backed outfit PNPI Group Sdn
Bhd, had been tested extensively in Iran and proven to be effective in
preventing the diseases.

The company's general manager, Vahid Tahmasebi, said the company would be
bringing in a few thousand doses of the vaccines soon for a trial run.

"If we find the market suitable we will even set up our own vaccine
manufacturing plant here," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the Business
Leaders Meeting in conjunction with the D8 Ministers Meeting on Food Security,
here Wednesday.

The PNPI Group is the franchise holder of various vaccines from Iran's
biggest research institute -- Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute.



The Razi institute, with more than eight decades of experience in research
and production of biologicals, has established an outstanding international
reputation with the production of over 3.5 billion doses of different products
including medical and veterinary vaccines.

Tahmasebi said PNPI Group Sdn Bhd, which was set up recently, had imported
28 other types of vaccines for use in the agricultural sector here.

He also said that the vaccines imported by his company would be much cheaper
than those from Europe or the United States.

Iranian Deputy Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Khalghani said Iran produced some
of the best agricultural vaccines, which were of very high international
standard.

Khalghani said Iran was willing to work closely with Malaysia to develop and
improve on the various types of vaccines under the D8 initiative.

The countries that make up the D-8 are Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Nigeria.

-- BERNAMA