DUOPHARMA BIOTECH BERHAD

Smarter Solutions for a Healthier Life

2020 will go down as one of the most devastating periods in modern history, as COVID-19 had infected more than a million people worldwide and wreaked havoc on the global economy. Leonard Ariff, Managing Director of Duopharma Biotech Berhad, highlights how one of Malaysia’s leading pharmaceutical companies has navigated through the crisis and his aspirations for the future.

“At Duopharma Biotech, one of the biggest impacts of the pandemic on our business has been the drop in demand for our prescription drugs. This is because fewer people are seeking treatment for ailments, as they want to avoid unnecessary spending and also because they are afraid of contracting the virus at the clinic or hospital.

Despite these challenges, we have continued to strengthen our portfolio of biotherapeutics and other critical drugs. We do this either in partnership with leading pharmaceutical players or through our own Highly potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (“HAPI”) plant. In June 2020, we became the first in Malaysia to commercially produce a cancer drug-Trevive.

Incidentally, the sales of our over-the-counter vitamins and supplements, particularly our Flavettes and Champs Vitamin C, increased as consumers are eager to boost their immunity. We also expanded our network of partners by investing in a US-based innovator of novel treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Joining the Digital Revolution

Globally, we are witnessing the digital transformation of healthcare with greater use of apps and telemedicine replacing face-to- face interaction. We intend to be part of this transformation. For a start, we have invested US$250,000 in Naluri, which has developed an app that combines behavioural science, data science and digital design to offer a holistic health management programme.

We continue to live up to our promise of ‘providing smarter solutions for a healthier life’ as we enhance our portfolio of products. We are now in the midst of technology transfer for a drug to treat leukaemia, which should be completed early in 2021. We have also continued to create awareness of the quality and availability of halal-certified drugs.

Duopharma Biotech’s latest initiative supports the COVID-19 National Vaccination Plan; supplying 6.4 million doses of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine to Malaysians. We are exploring opportunities with Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for further collaboration to enhance our capabilities in research and development, technology transfer, local manufacturing, and supply of the vaccine to Malaysia and other ASEAN countries.

We look forward to commercial production of “Trevive”, adding to our portfolio of affordable cancer treatments, while working with our partners to bring in more biotherapeutics and other novel treatment modalities for a wider range of prevalent ailments.

Our partnership with the local and international companies will provide fresh impetus in growing our portfolio – ultimately enhancing our presence in Southeast Asia.”