Investment opportunities in Bahrain were discussed for a Malaysian company at a key meeting yesterday (September 8).

Officials from Malaysia-based company Pharmaniaga, one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of generics and distributors of medical devices, visited Bahrain for the second time to engage in meetings with Transportation Minister and Economic Development Board (EDB) acting chief executive Kamal Ahmed, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Discussions centred around the company's future plans, as well as investment opportunities found in the kingdom, which are led by the country's liberal economic environment.

Also explored were policies governing the manufacturing sector and efforts by the EDB to drive foreign direct investment into the kingdom and encourage companies to make Bahrain headquarters for their operations in the region.

The EDB organised official meetings and visits with various ministries and entities for Pharmaniaga to meet with, within Bahrain, over the next two days.

"We are delighted to meet Malaysia-based company Pharmaniaga in Bahrain once again to discuss the kingdom's investment opportunities and its economic environment," Ahmed said.

"It gives us great pride to see leading international companies such as Pharmaniaga consider Bahrain as an ideal location from which to access the growing market.

"This is a testament to both the kingdom's positive and competitive economic climate that continues to encourage investment," he added.

The EDB has a representative office in India, which operates as the regional office for south Asia and includes Malaysia and has played an integral role in attracting Pharmaniaga to Bahrain.

Pharmaniaga has factories in both Malaysia and Indonesia, and its products and medicines cover around 150 hospitals and more than 2,000 health centres in Malaysia.

The company holds around 60 per cent market share in government hospitals, and manages its own supply chain, starting from their warehouses to the hospital stores and inventories.

Pharmaniaga products include anaesthetics, analgesics, antihistamines, antidotes as well as cardiovascular, immunological and respiratory medication. - TradeArabia News Service