He said the mobile Covid-19 screening device, i-Breath, is now entering its final preclinical phase, and is expected to be commercialised after undergoing clinical trials.

“i-Breath will enter a clinical trial phase consisting of several phases over a period of six months, before it is completed and can be commercialised and marketed,” he said in an interview on Bernama TV.

“We hope that there are international parties who will get this device for their use because we are targeting the use of this i-Breath not only domestically but also internationally,” he said according to a Bernama report.

The ministry of science, technology and innovation has allocated RM1.05 million for the development of the i-Breath device in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

The device can detect Covid-19 with a sensitivity of up to 93% by simply having to breathe into the device, which was developed by Dr Malarvili Bala Krishan of UTM’s engineering faculty in collaboration with Dr Teo Aik Howe of Penang general hospital.

The i-Breath device measures the exhalation of oxygen through the nasal passages as well as assesses and monitors respiratory function on an ongoing basis without requiring the patient to perform many movements, according to UTM.

Clinical trials on two vaccines

Adham said the ministry is conducting two clinical trials on vaccines produced in the country through the establishment of the Malaysian Genome and Vaccine Institute.

He said the two vaccines were a vaccine for head and neck cancer (nasopharyngeal cancer) and a cholera vaccine. Each would go through clinical trials in the United Kingdom and India, as early as next year.

“A Covid-19 vaccine is also being developed by the Institute for Medical Research in collaboration with the University of Malaya. We are confident that Malaysia can become a vaccine production hub that can be used domestically and also exported abroad,” he said.

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