Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU NBERIC earns FDA license for health products

By Jedd Bryant Boado
 

MMSU's National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center (NBERIC) has been granted a three-year License to Operate (LTO) as a drug manufacturer by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 6.

With the LTO, NBERIC can now apply for a Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) or Certificate of Product Notification (CPN), allowing the center to manufacture and distribute its developed health products while ensuring their safety and efficacy. This complies with Republic Act No. 9711 or the FDA Act of 2009.

Among NBERIC’s products is Nipahol, a nipa-based alcohol sanitizer developed to address the shortage of disinfectant alcohol in Ilocos Norte during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initiated by former MMSU President and now Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis, the Nipahol project received the Gantimpala Award from the Civil Service Commission in 2020.

With the issuance of the LTO, MMSU-NBERIC moves a step closer to introducing Nipahol and its other developed products to the market. The development also reinforces the university’s research and innovation initiatives in line with its SUCCEED agenda.