EARLYHEALTH GROUP TO LEAD US$200 MLN LIFE SCIENCES HUB IN BARBADOS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- EarlyHealth Group (EHG), headquartered in Dubai, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Export Barbados (BIDC) to jointly establish EarlyHealth City Barbados, a US$200 million pharmaceutical and life sciences cluster to be developed in Newton, Christ Church. (US$1=RM4.12)

In a statement, EHG said the project aimed to attract global pharmaceutical partners, strengthen industrialisation through sustainable contract manufacturing, and expand laboratory and clinical research capabilities for Barbados and the wider Caribbean.

Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Amor Mottley described the project as “transformative”, highlighting its potential to drive job creation, develop local scientific and technical talent, and embed pharmaceutical innovation into Barbados’ industrial base.

EHG Chief Executive Officer, Dr Dan A. Renout said EarlyHealth City Barbados will serve as a platform for supply resilience, skilled employment and regional integration into the global pharmaceutical industry.

Spanning 45 acres, EarlyHealth City will feature three manufacturing domes totalling more than 250,000 square feet dedicated to producing oral solids, semi-solids, liquids and advanced biologics.

The facilities will include capabilities for cell cultivation, upstream and downstream bioprocessing and full commercial-scale production under United States and European Union Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.

EHG, which supports pharmaceutical manufacturing, clinical studies and market access across 60 countries, has secured memoranda of understanding with several companies, including Acarpia Farmaceutici Srl, Bioeq AG, Formycon AG, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (SOBI) and multiple manufacturers across Asia, Europe and South America.

A fourth dome will house a Security Operations Centre (SOC) designed and managed by EHG partner Cyb3r Limited, Dubai’s fastest-growing cybersecurity and data protection company. The SOC will deploy artificial intelligence-driven cybersecurity and data analytics systems to safeguard digital assets and regulatory data for the cluster.

The same dome will include a 30,000-square-foot high-performance cricket training facility operated by DriveFITT, integrating biomechanics and sports recovery technology to support the development of future West Indies fast bowlers.

Upon completion, the project is expected to host more than 1,000 professionals in a modern, sustainable community offering wellness amenities, restaurants and collaborative spaces, positioning the development as the Caribbean’s leading life sciences hub.

-- BERNAMA