PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Health has today confirmed that Malaysia is not facing a crisis of human insulin shortage and the current supply is sufficient until the end of the year.
However, according to Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, the ministry is already looking for other alternatives and is getting other suppliers as soon as possible.
“I wouldn’t want to believe that we will be in a crisis of sort, but we do have other alternatives and we are getting the other suppliers soonest,” he told media at the MIH megatrends 2024 MoU signing ceremony here today.
Asked how soon Malaysia can get the supply of the human insulin, he replied: “We’ll go on a fast track on this, 60 days, as opposed to a few months originally,”.
Last week the ministry clarified that the recent disruption in the supply of human insulin at its local facilities was caused by production issues and in ensuring uninterrupted patient treatment, it has implemented several measures, including increasing the use of analog insulin and oral therapies, as determined by the clinical assessments of the treating physicians for each patient.
Dzulkefly refuted claims of a depletion in supply and clarified that the issue stemmed from a “contractual obligation” with one of the ministry’s suppliers.
“One of our two providers has struggled to meet their contractual obligations, but we have alternative solutions in place,” he said, adding that the ministry is now in talk to the current supplier in Johor and another one in India.
“So we in communication with the Indian principal, Biocon. So they must supply it whether it’s coming locally or overseas. Whatever it is, we don’t want this shortage to affect patient care. If truly there are shortage, then I have not heard about it for now.
“As far as I’m concerned, there is no patient not having or not getting the prescribed human insulin,” he stressed.
The minister also said that interested overseas suppliers would need to submit their dossiers to the Health Ministry and it would expedite the registration process through the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
