KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 8): Pharmaniaga Bhd is exploring the use of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones for pharmaceutical-grade medical delivery.

In a statement Monday (Nov 8), the group said it aims to enhance its logistics capabilities and make healthcare services more accessible, especially to remote areas without compromising on the safety, integrity and quality of the medicines.

Pharmaniaga said it plans to reduce delivery time and cost as well as increase supply chain efficiencies as drone delivery is estimated to be five times more efficient than conventional delivery methods.

It said the first phase of the proof of concept of this project, code-named Project Eagle, had successfully taken place recently in Pulau Pangkor, Perak which involved a distance of 4.2km from a jetty in Manjung to Klinik Kesihatan Pangkor, with approximately 3kg of medicines delivered for emergency medical treatment.

Pharmaniaga group managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope said Project Eagle would bring the group one step closer to rolling out a large-scale programme for the delivery of vital medicines via drones.

“A normal mode of delivery using a ferry from the jetty in Manjung to the clinic at Pulau Pangkor will take approximately 30 minutes, as opposed to only 3.5 minutes when using the drone as demonstrated.

“The drone technology is advanced in terms of performance and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional logistics, especially when delivering products to geographically-challenging locations,” he said.

He added that Project Eagle will continue with several more stages at different locations and terrains, including the remote areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

Supporting Project Eagle are the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre, Technology Park Malaysia, Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, Boustead Holdings Bhd and Meraque Services Sdn Bhd.

At the midday break on Monday, Pharmaniaga closed at 80.5 sen, valuing it at RM1.06 billion.