JAKARTA (Reuters) – Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has signed a deal with Indonesian state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma to produce insulin for treating diabetes in the country, a Bio Farma executive said on Wednesday.
Novo Nordisk has been in the international headlines in recent months for its popular diabetes drug Ozempic and is known as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of insulin.
Novo Nordisk said in its 2023 annual report that it is expanding its diabetes treatment efforts in Asia, increasing enrollment of children in one of its programs in India, Indonesia and other countries.
Bio-Pharma and Novo Nordisk have signed a memorandum of understanding to produce insulin in India, Soreh Ayubi, Bio-Pharma’s deputy chief executive officer, told Reuters by phone.
The investment amount and start date for production are still being finalised, Soleh said, adding that this is Novo Nordisk’s first manufacturing contract in Indonesia.
Novo Nordisk will provide its “diabetes treatment and insulin manufacturing expertise” and Bio-Pharma will provide a local manufacturing facility, Bio-Pharma said in a statement.
Sreelekha Sreenivasan, Novo Nordisk’s vice president and general manager in Indonesia, said in the same statement that the deal “strengthens our commitment in Indonesia.”
According to 2021 data from the International Diabetes Federation, there are more than 19 million people with diabetes in Indonesia, accounting for 10.8% of the adult population of about 180 million.
(Reporting by Stanley Widiant and Alexandra Hudson Editing)
