NPRA patent guideline may hinder affordable generics, warn groups
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PETALING JAYA: Several groups have called for the withdrawal of a proposed guideline by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) on patents, saying it risks hampering the production and sale of affordable generic medicines to those who really need them.
The groups said international experience and studies show that such โpatent linkageโ mechanisms function as powerful tools to delay generic competition regardless of the merits of the underlying patent claim.
Read more : https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/05/02/npra-patent-guideline-may-hinder-affordable-generics-warn-groups
Read more: NPRA patent guideline may hinder affordable generics, warn groups
PRESS RELEASE: MOHโS PROPOSED PATENT LINKAGE GUIDELINE RISKS HIGHER MEDICINE PRICES AND DELAYED ACCESS
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Malaysia stands at a critical juncture in ensuring access to affordable medicines. The governmentโs decision to cut the health budget by RM3.06 billion, together with a proposed move by the Ministry of Health, risks worsening the situation.
In April, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) opened a public consultation on its proposed โGuideline on Implementation of Patent Linkage for Pharmaceutical Products in Malaysiaโ, presented as fulfilling an obligation under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Although framed as procedural, the guidelineโs implications run far deeper and threatens timely generic entry, medicine affordability and public health.
PRESS RELEASE: ON THE PROPOSED GUIDELINES ON IMPLEMENTATION OF PATENT LINKAGE FOR PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS IN MALAYSIA
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Malaysia is facing a growing healthcare affordability crisis. Rising out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure, coupled with the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, is placing a significant financial strain on consumers. The proposed Patent Linkage Guidelines risk delaying access to affordable generic medicines, thereby worsening medicine affordability and consumer welfare.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO CONSUMERS
Medicine prices in Malaysia have consistently increased over time, with no clear evidence of price reductions. At the same time, capacity constraints in public healthcare are pushing more consumers toward higher-cost private care. As a result, many households especially those in the B40 and M40 groups are facing significant out-of-pocket expenses. Additionally, the lack of timely availability of generic alternatives means that high prices persist longer, limiting access to necessary treatment. Higher prices lead to delayed or skipped treatment, as many consumers are unable to afford the medicines they need. This, in turn, contributes to financial hardship, especially for lower- and middle-income households. Ultimately, these challenges result in poorer health outcomes due to lack of timely and adequate care.
Beyond business, ESG must be a national commitment
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Rather than a trendy acronymn, ESG is a moral stress test of how a nation treats its people and its future, and right now, Malaysia is in danger of failing that test where it hurts most.
We expound the importance of the environment, social and governance (ESG) framework and draft strategic plans to impress investors.
But the proof of ESG is not on powerpoint slides. It is on our streets, at schools, in kampungs and low-cost flats, where people get left behind or are never counted.
In that context, applying ESG scrutiny to race relations, education, housing, and jobs is just our โESG agendaโ, not reform.
Read more: Beyond business, ESG must be a national commitment
Chief Statistician urges Malaysians to rebuild discipline, warning QR payments make saving harder than ever
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KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 โ From stamp books and post office savings to instant QR payments, Malaysiansโ relationship with money has shifted dramatically โ and not necessarily for the better.
That is the candid view of Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin, who said the convenience of digital payments may be quietly eroding the discipline that once defined how Malaysians saved.
Speaking alongside the release of the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) 2022 by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, Uzir reflected on how earlier generations were conditioned to save from a young age โ often through simple but consistent habits.
โWhen we were in school, there was already a concept of saving. Teachers would bring stamp books, and if we didnโt spend our money, we would paste the stamps and save. At the time, there werenโt many banks around.
Think tank slams proposed RM3.06bil cut to health ministry
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The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy says the reduction will have direct consequences across hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities nationwide.
PETALING JAYA: The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy has slammed the proposed RM3.06 billion cut to the health ministryโs budget, warning that it would undermine the public healthcare system and put patients and frontline workers at risk.
Its CEO, Azrul Khalib, said the reduction would have direct consequences across hospital wards, operating theatres, emergency departments, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, and on patients waiting for treatment.
โThe cost of this cut will be paid in delayed procedures, longer waiting lists, medicine shortages, deteriorating facilities, exhausted healthcare workers, avoidable complications, and preventable deaths,โ he said in a statement today.
Azrul said the public healthcare system was already operating under severe pressure, with hospitals and clinics only receiving the minimum resources needed to function safely and effectively.
Read more: Think tank slams proposed RM3.06bil cut to health ministry
Malaysians paying twice for poor waste management, says researcher
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Malaysians paying twice for poor waste management, says researcher
Keeren Sundara Rajoo says solid waste management and public cleansing account for 40% to 80% of local authority expenditure in Malaysia.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are unknowingly paying twice for poor waste management through public spending and hidden costs such as pollution and health risks, a researcher says.
Keeren Sundara Rajoo of Universiti Putra Malaysia Sarawak said that solid waste management and public cleansing account for between 40% and 80% of local authority expenditure in Malaysia, the Borneo Post reported.
โPeople may not see a separate charge for waste, but they are already paying for it through local authority spending,โ he was quoted as saying.
Read more: Malaysians paying twice for poor waste management, says researcher
BNM fines Zurich units RM1.56mil over sanctions breaches
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The fines were imposed after the insurers failed to properly update and check their sanctions screening systems.
PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara Malaysia has imposed a total of RM1.56 million in penalties on two Zurich insurance companies for failing to follow rules on financial sanctions screening.
BNM said Zurich General Insurance Malaysia Bhd (ZGIMB) was fined RM1.04 million, while Zurich General Takaful Malaysia Bhd (ZGTMB) was penalised RM520,000 for non-compliance detected on Jan 19.
In a statement today, it said both companies failed to update their sanctions database after the publication of a new sanctions local list, and did not properly screen all customers.
They failed to fully check and confirm whether flagged customers were true matches, it said.
Read more: BNM fines Zurich units RM1.56mil over sanctions breaches
SIARAN MEDIA: FOMCA MENYOKONG DASAR PENGGUNA NEGARA 2.0: MEMPERKASA PENGGUNA DAN MENEGAKKAN INTEGRITI PASARAN DIGITAL
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FOMCA menyambut baik dan menyokong penuh pelaksanaan Dasar Pengguna Negara 2.0 (DPN 2.0) oleh Kerajaan melalui Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Kos Sara Hidup (KPDN) sebagai satu langkah strategik yang amat diperlukan dalam menghadapi realiti baharu ekonomi digital.
Hari ini, landskap kepenggunaan telah berubah sepenuhnya. Jika sebelum ini pengguna beroperasi dalam persekitaran kedai fizikal dan pusat beli-belah, kini pengguna berinteraksi dalam ekosistem digital yang melibatkan platform dalam talian, kecerdasan buatan (AI), algoritma dan rangkaian global tanpa sempadan.
Bersama perubahan ini, risiko utama juga telah berubah daripada isu harga dan kualiti asas kepada cabaran baharu seperti manipulasi pasaran, eksploitasi data, penipuan digital dan scam.
PRESS RELEASE: FOMCA SUPPORTS NATIONAL CONSUMER POLICY 2.0: EMPOWERING CONSUMERS AND ENSURING DIGITAL MARKET INTEGRITY
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FOMCA welcomes and fully supports the Governmentโs implementation of the National Consumer Policy 2.0 (DPN 2.0) through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living as a critical and forward-looking step in addressing the realities of todayโs digital economy.
The consumer landscape has fundamentally transformed. Where consumers once operated within physical retail environments, they are now engaging within a digital ecosystem driven by online platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms and borderless global networks. Alongside this shift, the nature of risks has also evolved from basic concerns of price and product quality to more complex challenges such as market manipulation, data exploitation, digital fraud and scams.
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