PUTRAJAYA: The current supply of human insulin in the country will last until the end of the year, says Health Minister Datuk Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He 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.
"We are committed to ensuring that patient care is not disrupted, and to my knowledge, no one has been left without or denied human insulin," he said at a press conference following the signing ceremony for the Malaysia International Healthcare Megatrends 2024 conference.
Dr Dzulkefly said that the ministry was exploring alternatives and is actively engaging with other suppliers.
"Interested overseas suppliers will need to submit their dossiers to the Health Ministry. We will expedite the registration process through the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
"We are fast-tracking the process to just 60 days instead of the usual few months. This issue will be resolved before the end of the year," he said.
On Aug 22, the Health Ministry assured that the management of medications, including for diabetes treatment, remained robust despite recent disruptions in the supply chain of human insulin at public healthcare facilities.
In a statement, the ministry had said the disruption was due to production issues at a local supplier's facility, and that they had taken several measures to ensure patients continued receiving uninterrupted treatment.
The ministry had increased the use of insulin analogues and oral hypoglycaemic agents based on clinical assessments by treating doctors.