Korea United Pharm Inc. has cleared the high entry barriers of public tenders for national medical institutions in Southeast Asia. The company announced on the 14th that it had signed a long-term supply agreement for the anticancer drug “Hydrin Capsule 500mg” with Ucogen, a local pharmaceutical import and distribution company in Malaysia, at the United Yoksam Building in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul.

Under this agreement, starting from 1 October, pharmaceuticals worth a total of USD 2.2 million will be supplied in stages over three years to medical institutions under the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Ministry of Health, as well as those directly under the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education. The structure involves direct supply of pharmaceuticals to the public hospital network that forms the core of the local national healthcare infrastructure.

The key drivers behind winning this large public tender are cited as the company’s exclusive marketing authorization status in the local market and the reliability of its product quality. Among hydroxyurea-based anticancer agents, the active ingredient of Hydrin Capsules, this product is the only one to have obtained official marketing authorization from the Malaysian health authorities. In addition, the production stability of its long-verified manufacturing facilities and its rigorous quality control capabilities played a decisive role in securing a long-term government contract.

Although Korea United Pharm has supplied various anticancer products to the Malaysian market for more than 10 years, this is the first time it has won a multi‑year long-term tender for government agencies and established a supply chain for national hospitals. The corporate trust built up locally over an extended period has translated into entry into the public procurement market.

This contract was underpinned by exchanges with a Malaysian government delegation that visited Korea in November last year. At that time, the two sides explored various options for collaboration in pharmaceutical R&D and production, while considering the expansion of drug distribution networks. Korea United Pharm plans to use this anticancer drug supply as a foothold to expand the supply of other prescription drug lineups to the local public healthcare market in the future.

Popular News