Medicine & Pharmaceuticals News

Duopharma Biotech showcases halal pharmaceutical production to SMIIC delegation

Kuala Lumpur, 16 October 2025 — Duopharma Biotech Berhad (“Duopharma Biotech” or “the Company”) recently welcomed approximately 30 delegates from the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (“SMIIC”) at its Klang manufacturing facility, in a technical visit organised by the Department of Standards Malaysia (“DSM”) in conjunction with the 14th SMIIC Technical Committee Week 2025, hosted in Kuala Lumpur from 22 to 26 September. SMIIC is an institute under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (“OIC”), with a mission to establish uniformity in standardisation, metrology and accreditation activities to facilitate trade and support sustainable economic growth, consumer welfare, and environment and innovation promotion for Member States. During the visit, the delegates, comprising technical experts from SMIIC member countries, received an overview of best practices within Malaysia’s halal pharmaceutical industry, facilitated by Duopharma Biotech’s Halal & Government Relations Department.  The Company’s manufacturing facility in Klang is a Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMP”)-certified plant focusing on advanced pharmaceutical technologies. It manufactures halal pharmaceutical products comprising a wide array of tablets, capsules, syrups, oral antibiotic creams, solutions for haemodialysis and sterile irrigation, injectables, dental cartridges and eyedrops, for export and domestic markets. Wan Amir-Jeffery Wan Abdul Majid, Group Chief Executive Officer of Duopharma Biotech Berhad, commented, “It is a great honour to showcase Duopharma Biotech’s manufacturing facilities to the SMIIC delegation, enabling them to witness how we practise our holistic “Halal Built-In, Not Tested For” principle. As a global pioneer in the halal pharmaceutical sector, working closely under the leadership of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (“JAKIM”), DSM and the Halal Development Corporation (“HDC”), we have made significant progress in international outreach to growing our markets. With the halal pharmaceuticals sector projected to reach USD5.9 billion in value by 2030, our goal is to provide safe, effective, high-quality halal-certified products that broaden healthcare choices for patients. At the same time, the scalability of halal requires education, as many international partners are only beginning to understand its value. With Malaysia’s maturity and proven track record, we are well-positioned to guide this journey, and by sharing our progress from food to pharmaceuticals, we can build global trust and harmonise halal standards.” “We are delighted to have the opportunity to visit Duopharma Biotech’s manufacturing plant. Malaysian government institutions like DSM and JAKIM have established a strong halal ecosystem supported by regulatory and industry collaboration, and SMIIC is keen to observe how these practices are implemented in halal manufacturing. We were pleased to learn how a key pharmaceutical player engages in collaboration with regulatory bodies during early product development, substituting prohibited ingredients, adjusting production lines, and pioneering new methods of quality assurance to ensure every ingredient and production process aligns with halal requirements. It is further reassuring to see the integration of digital technology such as blockchain, IoT and AI in every stage of production and logistics to improve traceability and transparency. I look forward to seeing these processes expanded to more SMIIC member countries,” added Dr. Mohammed Ali Alsheikh, SMIIC Technical Assistance, TC 16 Halal Medical Issues. A Global Leader in Halal Pharmaceuticals Duopharma Biotech has been a global pioneer of halal pharmaceutical manufacturing for close to three decades, beginning in 1998 when halal was integrated with GMP requirements for all production lines and manufacturing processes. All its manufacturing facilities are fully halal-compliant, adhering to the Malaysian Standard MS 2424:2019 for Halal pharmaceuticals and the OIC standard SMIIC 50-1. The Company first obtained Halal certification from JAKIM in 1999 for its Consumer Healthcare brands such as CHAMPS®️, FLAVETTES®️, PROVITON®️ and NATURALLE, followed by becoming the first pharmaceutical manufacturer to receive halal certification for prescription medicines in 2017, the first Halal certification for a cancer treatment product in 2022, and halal certification for a treatment targeting anaemia associated with chronic renal failure in 2025. To further grow the halal pharmaceuticals sector, Duopharma Biotech has organised the Halal Pharmaceuticals Symposium since 2016, gathering international experts, industry leaders and standards and regulatory agencies to advance the integration of Halal pharmaceuticals into the global healthcare system. At the symposium, participants exchange ideas and opinions, share best practices and successes and collaborate to solve challenges faced by the halal pharmaceutical industry. Duopharma Biotech is a member of HDC’s Sectoral Working Group tasked with reviewing and monitoring the implementation of identified initiatives, guided by the Sectoral Roadmap for Halal Pharmaceuticals to drive the industry’s growth. A Strategic Approach to Medicine Access Duopharma Biotech takes a holistic approach to ensuring that all patients have access to the medicines they need. Beyond a focus on halal pharmaceuticals, it is imperative to ensure that the supply of critical medicines is robust and reliable in order to ensure that the needs of patients are met. Aligned with the Government’s Medicine Security strategy to ensure a sustainable supply of essential medications, the Company has made a strategic commitment to shoring up its ability to supply Recombinant Human Insulin (“RHI”) for patients with diabetes in Malaysia since 2016. Since then, Duopharma Biotech, together with its long-term partner company Biocon, has established itself as the primary RHI supplier in Malaysia, via production at Biocon’s manufacturing facility in Johor and bolstered by multiple sources of supply globally. Leveraging our recent success in obtaining Halal certification for a biosimilar erythropoietin product used for the treatment of anaemia in chronic kidney disease patients, Duopharma Biotech is working closely with Biocon to extend this expertise to their RHI portfolio, advancing Halal certification efforts and reinforcing global confidence in Halal-compliant biopharmaceuticals.