News & Media

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 FEBRUARY 2024 – Duopharma Biotech Berhad (“Duopharma Biotech”) via its subsidiary Duopharma Marketing Sdn Bhd has signed an Exclusive Distributorship Agreement with Owen Mumford Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of UK-based medical device company Owen Mumford for the distribution of medical devices in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. As part of the inaugural agreement, Duopharma Biotech will distribute a range of diabetes care and eye care products, namely the Unifine® Pentips ® and Unifine® Pentips® Plus insulin pen needles; Unistik® 3 and Unilet® Excelite lancets; as well as the Autodrop® eye drop guide, to government and private healthcare facilities, other patient care facilities and retail outlets, with potential expansion of the range of products distributed. 

Datuk Wira Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) congratulated Duopharma Biotech Berhad and Owen Mumford Sdn Bhd on the signing of their Exclusive Distributorship Agreement. “The alliance between Duopharma Biotech and Owen Mumford integrates two pivotal sectors of healthcare – pharmaceuticals and medical devices. This integration showcases our dedication to improving healthcare access through innovative technologies, embodying our commitment to the wellbeing of our population.” He further added, “The medical devices sector is prioritised in Mission 1 of the New Industrial Master Plan 2030, where the vision is to transform Malaysia into an innovation-driven manufacturing hub. It underscores the capacity building in the medical devices and pharmaceutical industries, by leveraging innovation and high-skilled talent to drive a high complexity economic agenda.”

“Duopharma Biotech is delighted to have this opportunity to partner with Owen Mumford, a global leader in quality medical device design and manufacturing. Their innovative product range is certainly a great fit for our current offerings to patients, healthcare providers and carers. As a leading Malaysian healthcare company with a vision of ‘Providing Smarter Solutions for a Healthier Life’, we believe that having greater access to quality medical devices can improve patient compliance to routine care procedures such as blood sugar testing and insulin injections among diabetics, thus leading to better healthcare outcomes in the longer term. This is especially important in light of the growing diabetes burden in Malaysia. Besides, this is also in line with our ESG focus on improving access to healthcare, whereby providing more options to patients means improving their ability to get the care that best suits their individual needs,” said Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar, Group Managing Director, Duopharma Biotech Berhad. 

The prevalence of diabetes among Malaysian adults has grown from 11.2% in 2011 to 18.3% in 2019, with the disease expected to affect 7 million Malaysian adults by 2025 at a prevalence of 31.3%.

The British High Commissioner to Malaysia Ailsa Terry added, “The coming together of Duopharma Biotech’s pharmaceutical expertise and Owen Mumford’s acute understanding of medical devices will benefit and support millions of people living with diabetes. This partnership represents what can be achieved when the very best from the UK and Malaysia join forces to support something that is incredibly important – the health and wellbeing of its people.”

Founded in 1952 in the United Kingdom, Owen Mumford is a pioneer in medical design innovation that revolutionised diabetes care with the first injector pen, and currently has a wide product portfolio covering diabetes care, blood and patient specimen collection, point of care testing, neuropathy screening, ophthalmology care and sexual healthcare.

“Since Owen Mumford Malaysia began operations in 2015, we have focused on elevating healthcare through engagement with patients and healthcare professionals and tailoring medical devices to meet their needs, besides conducting ongoing education to ensure the correct usage of devices for optimal healthcare outcomes. We are committed to delivering innovative, high-quality products and have launched initiatives such as including pen needles in complimentary bespoke starter kits at local Government hospitals and provided vouchers to support patients in the B40 demographic. With nearly RM100 million invested into our manufacturing facilities, operations and programmes in Malaysia since 2015, we aspire to continue serving as a source of advanced medical solutions in the country as well as the surrounding Asian region,” added Shirley Loh, Regional Managing Director, Owen Mumford Sdn Bhd.

 ^{PLoS One. 2022; 17(1): e0263139, Prevalence of type-2 diabetes and prediabetes in Malaysia: A systematic review and meta-analysis}