Farahidah Mohamed PhD

Professor Dr. Farahidah Mohamed obtained her BSc. in Pharmacy from Strathclyde University in 1999 and subsequently worked in community pharmacies and government hospitals before deciding to pursue a PhD in 2004. She completed her PhD from Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences in Scotland in 2008. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in leading various research projects funded by different agencies and ministries. Her expertise has been recognized, and she has received industrial grants to coordinate Good Manufacturing Practice (GMO)--associated training. Additionally, she has an impressive academic presence, having participated in over 30 international conferences and published more than 30 papers in reputable journals. She has also supervised more than 17 postgraduate master’s and PhD students, contributing to the development of future researchers in the field. As a Principal Investigator, Dr. Farahidah has secured research grants totaling RM 2.4 million for nine research projects. Her current focus lies in the design of various dosage forms that combine contemporary medicine with prophetic, natural, or traditional products. Her research aims to create synergistic effects, reduce toxicity, improve treatment compliance, and decrease overall treatment costs. Her effort has resulted in the successful commercialization of five products, ranging from healthcare to pharmaceutical products, with a cumulative revenue of about RM 6 million. She has been recognized with numerous awards for her contributions to the field. Notably, she received the prestigious Gold Award at the Malaysia Technology Expo and a Special Award from ISPE (Malaysia Chapter) for her innovation in developing a greener pharmaceutical product, specifically paracetamol-honey in 2022. She has also been invited to speak at various platforms, including the Ministry of Health, universities, and international events.

Prof. Farah has had significant experience and responsibilities in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing. As Head of Department of Production (2012-2014), she was responsible for overseeing the production department of IKOP Pharma Sdn. Bhd. (formerly known as IKOP Sdn. Bhd.) including managing the production process, ensuring compliance with regulations and standards, coordinating with other departments, and supervising staff. As Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (2014-2020), she had overall leadership and management responsibilities for IKOP Pharma Sdn. Bhd. This involved making strategic decisions, managing operations, overseeing financial aspects, representing the company to external stakeholders, and driving the company’s growth and success. Her involvement in GMP indicates her expertise in regulatory compliance, quality management systems, and ensuring adherence to industry best practices. She also acquired technical skills in the industry such as scaling up the pharmaceutical manufacturing process which involved transitioning from laboratory-scale to commercial-scale production. This requires expertise in optimizing and adapting processes, ensuring consistent quality, and addressing challenges associated with large-scale production. Additionally, she was also competent in process qualification for various dosage forms indicating her proficiency in developing and ensuring the reliability and robustness of manufacturing processes for different types of dosage forms. Another aspect of pharmaceutical GMP is the performance qualification that she has acquired during her tenure at IKOP Pharma Sdn. Bhd. This suggests her ability to design and execute qualification protocols, assess equipment performance, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. From August 2021 to July 2023, she held the Deputy Director post at IIUM Technology Transfer Office (TTO), Research Management Centre at IIUM to spearhead the income generation of the university via commercialization of IIUM Intellectual Properties.