KUALA LUMPUR (July 2): Duopharma Biotech Bhd (KL:DPHARMA) said it has formally secured multiple insulin contracts totalling over RM225 million from the government.

The contracts comprise a three-year agreement valued at RM155.27 million for human insulin as well as another RM18 million for insulin glargine and RM52.5 million for insulin aspart for two years, according to a joint statement from the pharmaceutical company and its partner Biocon Ltd.

“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 self-reliance for the country,” said Duopharma chief executive Wan Amir-Jeffery Wan Abdul Majid

Under the agreement, Biocon will manufacture the insulin out of its Johor plant while Duopharma will handle the distribution. The facility in Iskandar Puteri is one of Asia’s largest for insulin products, spanning drug substance manufacturing to fill-finish operations.

Malaysia has the highest prevalence of diabetes in Southeast Asia, affecting two of 10 adults in the country. Biocon and Duopharma have sold over 120 million insulin cartridges to the Health Ministry over the past decade to more than 450,000 patients in the public healthcare system.

“Our Johor operations enable us to deliver insulin at scale, expanding patient access in Malaysia and around the world,” said Biocon CEO Shreehas Tambe.

Beyond diabetes, both companies have also worked in oncology for more than seven years and have recently expanded into ophthalmology biologics.