PETALING JAYA, Oct 4 – The Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia (PhAMA) renewed its commitment to improve access to innovative medicines to Malaysians through stronger partnerships at its Golden Jubilee celebrations at the Sunway Convention Centre last week.
Officiated by health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the event marked the association’s journey over the last 50 years with the launch of the third edition of its Industry Fact Book.
PhAMA was originally registered in 1972 as the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Trade and Manufacturers Association. Since then, the association has evolved tremendously, changing its name and logo in 1999, and rebranding again this year in conjunction with its 50th anniversary.
“Every change in identity brings refreshed motivation and reaffirmation to the core of our existence, which is to improve access of innovative medicines to Malaysia,” said PhAMA president Chin Keat Chyuan.
PhAMA’s history is closely linked to the health care needs of the population in the post-Merdeka era, he noted.
In the 1970s, the association conducted membership drives, setting up working committees, organising social and sporting activities to increase networking, and creating a Code of Ethics to drive governance and self-regulation.
The Code of Ethics has since undergone 22 revisions. The latest version will be launched later this year, incorporating updated global trends and recommendations from the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IFPMA).
The 1980s were dedicated to capacity building. PhAMA established its Distance Learning Programme to elevate and enhance the knowledge of industry sales representatives. Various different learning programmes also improved professionalism, leadership and growth among industry players.
“The early captains laid clear career pathways for people who chose the pharmaceutical field, cultivating competitiveness and spurring self-improvement, driven by the fact that pharmaceutical products have life-changing, life-saving effects on the lives of humans and animals,” noted Chin.
The 1990s and early 2000s saw earlier initiatives being further enhanced by partnering with Institutes of Higher Learning to conduct PhAMA training programmes. Another notable partnership was the knowledge-sharing with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the promotion of medical tourism and clinical trials in Malaysia, which were later utilised in the formation of the Malaysia Healthcare Tourism Council (MHTC) and Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) respectively.
PhAMA has also worked closely and strategically with the MOH’s Pharmacy Services Programme on the direction and formulation of the National Medicines Policy framework, and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry’s (MITI) Strategic Industry Taskforce to create incentives to attract foreign direct investment in the Malaysian pharmaceutical sector.
By the 2010s, PhAMA had already established itself as a reputable and reliable reference point for the pharmaceutical industry.
It has produced various Position Papers, including for Generic Medicines, Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) Entry Point Project, Halal Pharmaceuticals, Biosimilar Medicines, Good Pharmaceutical Trading Practice Guidelines, Building Greater Access to Innovative Medicines, Reference Pricing Papers and Intellectual Property, Prescription, and Dispensing Separation.
PhAMA now drives programmes on Patient Assistance Programmes, Value Pricing, Track and Trace of pharmaceutical products, Value-Based Medicines for Improved Patient Access, IP for pharmaceuticals, Good Governance of Medicines and Health Economics, collaborating with PSP and academia.
“The tipping point was in 2020, when Covid-19 hit Malaysia and the world,” recalled Chin. Industry players worked hard in the last two years, battling logistic and supply chain issues, human resource turmoil, and general uncertainty in the health care system.
Some PHAMA members battled bigger markets like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia to bring in Covid-19 vaccines, while others strove to provide medicines nationwide amidst immense lockdown challenges.
At the height of the pandemic, PhAMA held a fundraising drive, raising over RM500,000, which was donated to the MOH’s Akaun Amanah Khas to provide PPEs and sanitisers to medical frontliners. PhAMA members also contributed independently up to RM2.5 mil to help battle Covid-19 in that critical period.
In launching the Industry Fact Book (third edition), Khairy noted that it was a pivotal moment, capturing key data points and industry-related information and insights, and the challenges and triumphs of the pharmaceutical industry.
“The Ministry recognises the key contributions of the industry, especially the strong support during the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in 2021. We acknowledge the hard work and challenges faced by industry players in obtaining the timely supply of vaccines that arrested the pandemic and allowed us to regain our lives,” he said.
Visiting the two-day PhAMA 50th Anniversary Health Carnival, the minister lauded the industry for working tirelessly to raise awareness of health and wellness through education and training for the public and health care providers.
“To reach our goal of 10 million healthy Malaysians in the next 10 years, we need an all-of-society approach, and welcome more Public-Private Partnerships that will multiply our efforts,” said Khairy.
Chin reiterated PhAMA’s support of the minister’s call for reforms to the health care system, which includes raising the public health care budget to 5 per cent, in an effort to improve health delivery and outcomes, and investing in clinical research in Malaysia.
“It has become necessary to bring health services to people wherever they are, instead of waiting for people to get themselves screened for medical conditions. NCDs continue to rise, and will reach even more worrying levels as Malaysia reaches ageing society status in 2030. The Health White Paper mooted by the minister will pave the way towards a streamlined, sustainable health care system in the next 15 years,” he opined.
Chin added: “In the next 50 years, PhAMA will strengthen collaboration, increase professionalism, and improve governance, benchmarked to international standards. In line with global practices, PhAMA will guide member companies towards Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) in achieving the United Nations’ SDG goals.”
The association will continue to support young professionals who are just starting their career, mid-level managers who seek to upgrade their skills and senior practitioners with a wealth of knowledge to share.
It will also provide technical advice, industry-sponsored services and more, that will shift Malaysia’s health care system towards a Continuum of Care, starting from Predictive, Preventive, Promotive, and Curative, to Rehabilitative and Palliative Care.
