New Delhi: Global biopharmaceutical company Biocon Limited on Wednesday announced that its long-standing partner, Duopharma Biotech Berhad (“Duopharma Biotech”) via its wholly-owned subsidiary Duopharma (M) Sendirian Berhad, has secured multiple insulin contracts from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Malaysia, valued at over MYR 225 million this year. As part of these contracts, Biocon’s subsidiary, Biocon Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia, will supply short-acting recombinant human insulin, insulin glargine and insulin aspart to Duopharma (M) Sendirian Berhad for distribution, supporting continued access to high-quality, cost-effective insulin therapies for people living with diabetes in Malaysia.
Biocon Limited informed in a press release, “The contracts comprise a three-year agreement valued at ~ MYR 155.27 million for human insulin, along with two 2-year agreements: ~ MYR 18 million for insulin glargine and ~ MYR 52.5 million for insulin aspart. In line with policies indicated in the 13th Malaysia Plan (“RMK-13”) and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (“NIMP 2030”), both companies are committed to helping patients with diabetes achieve better healthcare outcomes by ensuring a steady and accessible medicine supply.”
Shreehas Tambe, CEO & Managing Director, Biocon Limited, said: “Malaysia has been central to Biocon’s insulin journey for over a decade, anchored by our integrated insulin manufacturing facility in the country – 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.”
Joe Sian, Site Head, Biocon Sdn. Bhd., said: “Biocon’s partnership with Duopharma Biotech has helped expand access to insulin therapies for patients in Malaysia. With an estimated 4.75 million1 people living with diabetes in the country, ensuring affordable insulin supply is essential. This collaboration enables us to support patients across our full portfolio of insulin products.”
Encik Wan Amir-Jeffery Wan Abdul Majid, GCEO, Duopharma Biotech Berhad, said: “Duopharma Biotech is delighted and honoured to mark a decade in supporting the healthcare ecosystem together with our long-standing partner – Biocon, alongside welcoming new contracts to supply insulin products to Malaysian patients. 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.”
Biocon has been working with Duopharma Biotech since 2016 to address Malaysia’s growing diabetes burden. Through this collaboration, over 120 million insulin cartridges have been supplied to the MoH facilities over the past decade, supporting more than 450,000 patients in the Malaysia public healthcare system. Beyond diabetes care, both companies have also worked closely in oncology for more than seven years and have recently expanded into ophthalmology biologics, further improving access to high-quality biologic therapies for patients across Malaysia.
