• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • General/Business/Brief News
  • Cover Story/Issue
  • Exclusive
  • Highlight
  • Opinion/Column
Strengthening diabetes care among practitioners

Unlocking access to quality insulin

December 17, 2019
Dinner Duel: A Comparative Analysis of the Best Restaurants in Town

Dinner Duel: A Comparative Analysis of the Best Restaurants in Town

March 21, 2023
The Power of Social Media Marketing: Tips and Tricks for Success

The Power of Social Media Marketing: Tips and Tricks for Success

March 21, 2023
Behind Every Great Event: The Power of Effective Planning

Behind Every Great Event: The Power of Effective Planning

March 21, 2023
Getting the Best Out of Your Cloud Services: Strategies for Cost Optimization and Performance Improvement

Getting the Best Out of Your Cloud Services: Strategies for Cost Optimization and Performance Improvement

March 20, 2023
Incorporating Art into Your Home: Tips for Displaying and Choosing the Right Pieces.

Incorporating Art into Your Home: Tips for Displaying and Choosing the Right Pieces.

March 17, 2023
Bite into Bliss: 5 Best Bakeries and Pastry Shops in Kuala Lumpur for Dessert Lovers

Bite into Bliss: 5 Best Bakeries and Pastry Shops in Kuala Lumpur for Dessert Lovers

March 16, 2023
In Search of Mental Wellness: 5 Recommended Psychology Clinics in Kuala Lumpur

In Search of Mental Wellness: 5 Recommended Psychology Clinics in Kuala Lumpur

March 16, 2023
Protect Your Investment: Why a Home Inspection is Crucial for Buyers and Sellers

Protect Your Investment: Why a Home Inspection is Crucial for Buyers and Sellers

March 6, 2023
Top 8 Business Conferences in Malaysia

Top 8 Business Conferences in Malaysia

March 1, 2023
Revolutionizing Business in Southeast Asia: Your Ultimate Guide to the Selangor International Business Summit

Revolutionizing Business in Southeast Asia: Your Ultimate Guide to the Selangor International Business Summit

February 24, 2023
The Evolution of Medical Conferences: From Symposia to Virtual Events and the Future of Healthcare Collaboration

The Evolution of Medical Conferences: From Symposia to Virtual Events and the Future of Healthcare Collaboration

February 22, 2023
Top 5 Law Firms in Malaysia

Top 5 Law Firms in Malaysia

July 8, 2022
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Monday, May 29, 2023
Sihat Malaysia
  • Issue
    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    A Date With You For Better Sleep, Every Night.

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Nyaris sembelih anak

    Cuti tanpa rekod

    Nyaris sembelih anak

    Hanya lima aduan

    Nyaris sembelih anak

    Nyaris sembelih anak

    Tiba masa untuk lebih terbuka

    Majikan perlu ambil berat

    Tiba masa untuk lebih terbuka

    Tiba masa untuk lebih terbuka

    Pelaksanaan cuti ‘Hero’

    Ayuh jadi ‘Hero’

  • Exclusive
    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    A Date With You For Better Sleep, Every Night.

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Jadi ‘guru’ selepas mati

    Jadi ‘guru’ selepas mati

    Inhaling the truth

    A breathless journey

    Inhaling the truth

    Inhaling the truth

    Kebajikan kanak-kanak perlu dilindungi

    Kebajikan kanak-kanak perlu dilindungi

    Mampu undang risiko tinggi

    Lesser turned superior

    Lesser turned superior

  • General News
    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    A Date With You For Better Sleep, Every Night.

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Briefs

    Alpha IVF & Women’s lebar sayap

    Alpha IVF & Women’s lebar sayap

    Briefs

    Briefs

    Naik taraf NICU Hospital Shah Alam

    Revolutionising primary care

    Revolutionising primary care

  • Opinion
    Kaitan sepsis dan kerintangkan antibiotik

    Kaitan sepsis dan kerintangkan antibiotik

    Harapan baharu ‘mat pit’

    Harapan baharu ‘mat pit’

    Apa yang anda perlu tahu?

    Apa yang anda perlu tahu?

    Sepsis and antibiotic resistance: What is the connection?

    Sepsis and antibiotic resistance: What is the connection?

    Bahaya peranakan tersasar

    Bahaya peranakan tersasar

    Kerintangan antibiotik

    Kerintangan antibiotik

    Sepsis neutropenik mimpi ngeri pesakit

    Sepsis neutropenik mimpi ngeri pesakit

    Creating health-promoting environment

    The terrible, terrible Neutropenic Sepsis

  • Junior
    Rangsang minda dengan bermain

    Rangsang minda dengan bermain

    HP ‘ragut’ kehidupan aktif Nur Zarifah

    HP ‘ragut’ kehidupan aktif Nur Zarifah

    Didik tanpa membezakan

    Didik tanpa membezakan

    Usah ambil mudah bayi tersedak susu!

    Usah ambil mudah bayi tersedak susu!

    Reading between the lines

    Reading between the lines

    Main olok-olok tingkat kreativiti

    Main olok-olok tingkat kreativiti

    Can Children With Autism Swim?

    Can Children With Autism Swim?

    Peluang Kedua Nur Fitri

    Peluang Kedua Nur Fitri

    eViral Hepatitis Adalah Antara Ancaman Kesihatan Global Yang Paling Besar Setakat Ini

    eViral Hepatitis Adalah Antara Ancaman Kesihatan Global Yang Paling Besar Setakat Ini

  • Women
    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    A Date With You For Better Sleep, Every Night.

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Recognising caregivers’ burnout

    Recognising caregivers’ burnout

    Empati tinggi dorong Dr Bamini

    Empati tinggi dorong Dr Bamini

    Hair for hope

    Hair for hope

    Living with infertility

    Living with infertility

    Tali pusat terbelit, bahaya ke?

    Kanser bukan halangan

    Kanser bukan halangan

  • Men
    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    A Date With You For Better Sleep, Every Night.

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    约定你一起睡睡有今朝

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

    Pam zakar bawa mudarat?

    Pam zakar bawa mudarat?

    Urat kaki bocor, berat cecah 200kg

    Urat kaki bocor, berat cecah 200kg

    Tahap kesihatan lelaki rendah

    Pelan Tindakan Kesihatan Lelaki Kebangsaan 2018-2023

    Tahap kesihatan lelaki rendah

    Tahap kesihatan lelaki rendah

    Unshaved for cancer

    Unshaved for cancer

    60 is the new 40

  • Fitness
    Throwing punches for Malaysia

    Throwing punches for Malaysia

    Rakyat Malaysia kurang aktif?

    Berbasikal hilangkan tekanan, stabilkan jantung

    Rakyat Malaysia kurang aktif?

    Rakyat Malaysia kurang aktif?

    Fjord Trout, ikan segar kaya nutrien

    Fjord Trout, ikan segar kaya nutrien

    Santan bebas kolesterol, laktosa

    Santan bebas kolesterol, laktosa

    Osteoporosis: satu keretakan setiap tiga saat

    Osteoporosis: satu keretakan setiap tiga saat

    Populasi warga emas meningkat

    Populasi warga emas meningkat

    Getting fit through video games

    Getting fit through video games

    Diet, senaman perlu seimbang

    Diet, senaman perlu seimbang

  • Nutrition
    眼科巨匠 新焦点

    眼科巨匠 新焦点

    被忽视的疼痛

    被忽视的疼痛

  • Highlight
    Bahaya kanak-kanak kurang nutrisi

    Bahaya kanak-kanak kurang nutrisi

    Taleeb Mizad ‘multitasker’

    Taleeb Mizad ‘multitasker’

    Teacherobik ‘perangi’ obesiti pelajar

    Teacherobik ‘perangi’ obesiti pelajar

    Vape bukan alternatif berhenti merokok

    Vape bukan alternatif berhenti merokok

    Taiping for seniors

    Taiping for seniors

    Keeping watch of your health

    Keeping watch of your health

    Strengthening diabetes care among practitioners

    Unlocking access to quality insulin

    Strengthening diabetes care among practitioners

    Strengthening diabetes care among practitioners

    It’s time to speak openly

    It’s time to speak openly

  • Cartoon

  • PLUS
    Being healthy is a family affair

    Being healthy is a family affair

    How our dates came to be

    How our dates came to be

    Halal food is healthy food

    Halal food is healthy food

    All eyes on Yoo!

    All eyes on Yoo!

    Mom’s favourite cook

    Mom’s favourite cook

    Dishing up nostalgia on a plate

    Dishing up nostalgia on a plate

    Palm oil for the greater good

    Palm oil for the greater good

    In the palm of our hands

    All good in moderation

    All good in moderation

No Result
View All Result
Sihat Malaysia
No Result
View All Result
Home Highlight

Unlocking access to quality insulin

by jenius
December 17, 2019
in Highlight
0
Strengthening diabetes care among practitioners

“Biosimilar medications can offer benefits to patients and healthcare providers alike,” says Aida.

491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A story of less for more. A dive into biosimilars.

“MANY are either unaware of biosimilars or misunderstand what biosimilars actually are.” Aida Jaafar, the General Manager of Ethical Specialty Business from Duopharma Biotech Berhad says.

Duopharma Biotech is determined to spread the awareness of the practicality of biosimilar products. “Our aim is to educate the practitioners as well as the public about biosimilars. I believe education is the way forward.”

“Biosimilar drugs at its essence are not identical copies of the reference biological product. It can however, very closely mimic the function and effect of the reference biological product. Thus the name. But that does not mean it is any less effective. It is safe to say that it carries similar efficacy and quality of the reference product,” Aida says.

In other words, although biosimilar drugs are manufactured by a different manufacturer from the reference product, a biosimilar needs to prove it is as safe and effective as the reference product before it can be approved for use.According to Aida, the public is generally wary and sceptical towards the economically priced drugs.

“It is understandable. However, there have been clinical studies confirming its safety and efficacy. The drugs have also went through rigorous testing before it can be allowed in the market. The drug regulation in
Malaysia is very strict and without evidence- based findings, the biosimilar drugs would never have been allowed in the Malaysian market.”

Furthermore, Aida says the biosimilar insulins are now being supplied to government hospitals in Malaysia as a cost-effective alternative.

Why biosimilar products are more cost-effective

When a new drug is created, the active ingredients and manufacturing process is protected by patent law. This is to allow the innovator company recoup the cost of R&D, testing, and manufacturing.

“Without the cost of discovering the original drug molecule and the early clinical trial stages, the biosimilar can be offered at a lower price compared to the reference product. However, biosimilarity must be proven before commercialisation. The biosimilar must have highly similar quality, efficacy and safety as the reference product,” she says.

Besides helping the patients reduce their medication cost, biosimilars create balance in the pharmaceutical market.

Aida says: “The existence of biosimilar will create competition with the innovators. This prevents them from monopolising the pharmaceutical market by providing more affordable options,” she says. “In addition, this gives the middle and lower income population access to affordable insulin to manage their type 1 or 2 diabetes.” — The Health

Reducing patients’ burden with biosimilar insulins

As a cost effective product that emphasises safety and efficacy, biosimilar insulins provide for more patients to access quality diabetes care with confidence and sustainability.

Diabetes is a major health concern in Malaysia. The demand for insulin has increased in the last few years due to the estimated amount of 3.6 million diabetes patients among Malaysian adults.

Recently, a biosimilar insulin received regulatory approval to help manage the cost of diabetes for the middle and lower income population.

“If patients were to pay for their insulin, it would easily come to around RM200 a month if they were to pay out of pocket,” Dr Radhakrishna Sothiratnam, the Consultant Internal Medicine Physician of Columbia Asia Hospital Seremban informs.

“And that excludes other medications to treat other concomitant medical illnesses such as hypertension and dyslipidemia.”

Dr Radhakrishna has been advocating the prescribing of biosimilar insulins to his patients as a cost-effective treatment alternative. “A biosimilar insulin costs around RM100, half of the price of what the innovator brand is set at.”

A more cost effective solution

A more competitively priced insulin for diabetes? Is it safe? Dr Radhakrishna says that any generic biologic medication such as insulin to gain market access in Malaysia is required to be subject to strict regulation and scrutiny.

“When an application for a generic version of a biological medication were to be made to enter the Malaysian pharmaceutical market , the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency will insist on a local patient population study to be conducted to assess for efficacy and safety of the biological medication.”

Columbia Asia Hospital Seremban was one of the four sites involved in performing the efficacy and safety study for a biosimilar insulin. Other sites included Hospital Putrajaya, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, and University Malaya Medical Centre.

Because of the centre’s involvement in the study, Dr Radhakrishna had first-hand experience in switching diabetic patients’ insulin to the biosimilar insulin. “We did the most switching from a variety of different insulins to the biosimilar.”

He says that the centre’s findings are significant, given the varied brands of insulins they have switched to the biosimilar.

He also adds that patients in private healthcare are more careful and mindful of their medication. “When patients have to pay for the insulin, then they will ask more questions. Why is the biosimilar half the price of the insulin they are used to? How effective will it be? And is it safe?”

The study was done for six months, and Dr Radhakrishna found that the results exceeded his expectations. “The data we have collected showed encouraging glucose control and getting more patients to their glucose targets.”

Dr Radhakrishna is happy to note that most of his patients currently prescribed with the biosimilar insulin are doing well. All patients enrolled at Columbia Asia Hospital Seremban for the study has continued to use the biosimilar insulin till today.

A common misconception

Biosimilar drugs are often confused with generic drugs. Both are marketed as cheaper versions of costly innovator drugs. Both are available when drug companies’ exclusive patents on expensive new drugs expire. And both are designed to have the same clinical effect as their pricier counterparts.

But biosimilar drugs and generic drugs are quite different.

While generic drugs are identical to the original in chemical composition, biosimilar drugs are ‘highly similar’ although they may have used entirely different materials in the manufacturing process to achieve the same therapeutic andclinical result.

Another key difference is that generics are copies of chemical moieties, while biosimilars are modeled after biologics that use living organisms as the base ingredient.

A better solution

“With the biosimilar insulin, cost becomes a lesser burden for patients from the middle to lower income group. And seeing such good results for the last two years that I have prescribed it to my patients, I believe it is just as good as the innovator’s product.”

Dr Radhakrishna urges more widespread nationwide use of the biosimilar insulin, as it can help provide more patient coverage by the government for diabetes care. “The same amount of allocation for insulin can acquire double the amount of the insulin itself if biosimilars are to be used.” — The Health

  • “Biosimilar medications can offer benefits to patients and healthcare providers alike,” says Aida.
  • Dr Radhakrishna is confident that biosimilar insulins can be a better solution for the patients and the Malaysian healthcare sector overall.

With the biosimilar insulin, it becomes less burdening for patients from the middle to lower income group. And seeing as the results seen for the two years I have prescribed it to my patients, I believe it is just as good if not better than the innovator’s product.”




Share196Tweet123Share34
jenius

jenius

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Tidur Lebih Bermakna Setiap Malam

A Date With You For Better Sleep, Every Night.

February 28, 2020

Pil Tangguh Haid

January 11, 2019
骨痛热症病后调理

骨痛热症病后调理

December 19, 2019
Berdepan Mudarat Osteoarthritis

Berdepan Mudarat Osteoarthritis

0
KAEDAH RAWATAN PESAKIT OSTEARTHRITIS

Kaedah Rawatan Pesakit Ostearthritis

0
Suntikan Intraartikular, Kaedah Mudah Kembalikan Fungsi Lutut

Suntikan Intraartikular, Kaedah Mudah Kembalikan Fungsi Lutut

0
Dinner Duel: A Comparative Analysis of the Best Restaurants in Town

Dinner Duel: A Comparative Analysis of the Best Restaurants in Town

March 21, 2023
The Power of Social Media Marketing: Tips and Tricks for Success

The Power of Social Media Marketing: Tips and Tricks for Success

March 21, 2023
Behind Every Great Event: The Power of Effective Planning

Behind Every Great Event: The Power of Effective Planning

March 21, 2023

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Sihat Malaysia

Copyright © 2019 Sihat Malaysia. A publication of Revon Media Sdn Bhd. Web Design by Bike Bear

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Articles

Copyright © 2019 Sihat Malaysia. A publication of Revon Media Sdn Bhd. Web Design by Bike Bear