KUALA LUMPUR: Duopharma Biotech Bhd
has secured over RM225mil worth of insulin supply contracts from the Health Ministry, with long-time partner Biocon Limited supplying the products from its manufacturing facility in Johor.
The contracts were awarded to Duopharma's wholly owned subsidiary, Duopharma (M) Sdn Bhd, and cover recombinant human insulin, insulin glargine and insulin aspart for public healthcare facilities nationwide.
In a statement, the pharmaceutical company said the contracts comprise a three-year agreement worth about RM155.27mil for recombinant human insulin, as well as two separate two-year contracts valued at approximately RM18mil for insulin glargine and RM52.5mil for insulin aspart.
Under the agreements, Biocon's Malaysian subsidiary, Biocon Sdn Bhd, will supply the insulin products to Duopharma's wholly owned subsidiary, Duopharma (M).
The companies said the collaboration aligns with the government's objectives under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13) and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) to strengthen healthcare resilience and ensure a stable supply of essential medicines.
Duopharma group chief executive officer Wan Amir-Jeffery Wan Abdul Majid said the latest awards marked a decade of collaboration between the two companies and underscored the importance of strengthening domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities.
"It is more critical than ever to have robust domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to safeguard patient access to essential medicines, strengthening national medicine security and achieving healthcare self-reliance for the country," he said.
Meanwhile, Biocon chief executive officer and managing director Shreehas Tambe said Malaysia has been central to the company's insulin business for more than a decade, supported by its integrated insulin manufacturing facility in Johor, which it described as the largest in Asia.
“Our Johor operations enable us to deliver insulin at scale, expanding patient access in Malaysia and around the world. This reinforces our strategy to address growing healthcare needs while advancing our mission of making life-changing medicines affordable and accessible to patients everywhere.”
Biocon Sdn Bhd site head Joe Sian said the partnership with Duopharma has helped expand access to insulin therapies in Malaysia, where an estimated 4.75 million people are living with diabetes.
