Ageing Population To Drive Malaysia's Pharmaceutical Demand -- MBSB IB

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- The demographic shift is expected to drive higher pharmaceutical demand as Malaysia is projected to become an ageing nation by 2036, driven by higher life expectancy and a declining birth rate, according to MBSB Investment Bank Bhd (MBSB IB). 

In a note, MBSB IB said that as the population ages, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising sharply, creating a permanent, structural demand for pharmaceutical therapies rather than temporary demand spikes.

“Consequently, pharmaceutical companies are encouraged to pivot from short-term acute care (like antibiotics and analgesics) toward long-term maintenance medications for cardiovascular, metabolic, oncological, and geriatric health. 

“Furthermore, managing multi-morbidities in elderly patients will drive sustained volume growth across public and private healthcare, boosting demand for biologics, biosimilars, and targeted therapies,” it said. 

Therefore, MBSB IB said it will remain optimistic about the pharmaceutical subsector, given clearer pathways to medicine security in the future. 

“More importantly, local pharmaceutical players, contract manufacturers and healthcare logistics providers are the primary commercial beneficiaries of the macro policy shift,” it said

MBMS IB maintained its “positive” call on the healthcare sector.

-- BERNAMA