Group MD of Duopharma Biotech Bhd , is not a scientist . But listening to him speak passionately about the technology and technical details of vaccines , you would think he was one .

But he is modest about it and jokes : “ I have to read every single journal and blog on it .”

The 56-year-old head honcho in fact , holds a Bachelor of Laws ( LLB ) and Bachelor of Economics from Monash University , Melbourne in Australia . He has garnered more than 30 years of experience in the legal , chemical , and pharmaceutical industries , including in the Petronas Group of Companies .

He was President of the Malaysian Organisation of Pharmaceutical Industries from 2009 to 2014 and has completed the Qualified Risk Director ( QRD ) programme , and is a member of the Institute of Enterprise Risk Practitioners ( IERP ).

Leonard Ariff has grown Duopharma Biotech into one of Malaysia ’ s leading pharmaceutical companies and believes that technology and innovation will drive the group to greater heights . With this in mind , he is leading the company into manufacturing a Covid-19 vaccine with Russian collaboration .

In this interview , he talks about the Sputnik V vaccine , the logistics involved , costs and the impact on Duopharma Biotech ’ s bottomline .

5 are used as vectors in the Sputnik V vaccine , which is different from the other vaccines .

What will be the process for procuring , storing and supplying the vaccine ? Duopharma Biotech has entered into a Term Sheet Agreement with the Ministry of Health ( MoH ) to supply 6.4 million doses to vaccinate 3.2 million Malaysians . Supply of the vaccine will be in phases over a period within 2021 . We will also provide warehousing , logistics , ground support and other services to government hospitals and clinics .

How much has Duopharma Biotech invested to upgrade the facilty ? Duopharma Biotech has invested about RM12 million to build the infrastructure to handle -20 degrees Celsius , including transfer boxes and special ultra-low temperature freezers . We are also currently converting one of our warehouses in the Klang facility to handle -20 degrees Celsius vaccine storage by getting it down to -30 degrees Celsius .

How will the Sputnik V vaccine deal impact Duopharma Biotech ' s financial performance ? The Sputnik V vaccine deal is expected

Duopharma Biotech has invested about RM12 million to build the infrastructure to handle -20 degrees Celsius , including transfer boxes and special ultra-low temperature freezers .”

to contribute positively to Duopharma Biotech Group ’ s earnings for the financial year ending Dec 31 , 2021 .

As a pre-existing pharmaceutical producer , we are equipped with most of the infrastructure needed . We are also knowledgeable and prepared for the registration , logistical and handling processes .

Also , we are supplying the vaccine with a Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR ) aspect as we want to ensure the national vaccination programme initiated by the Government is successful and meets its objective .

Will Duopharma Biotech seek to bring in other Covid-19 vaccines in future ? At the moment , we only supply 6.4 million doses as per the requirement by the government . As part of our support to the nation in the fight against Covid-19 , we are open for further discussion with the government should it require more doses .

Are you in discussions with any parties to utilise your fill-and-finish line at your Klang plant ? Yes , we are working on another type of vaccine in our Klang vaccine fill and finish facility . — The Health

How does the Sputnik V vaccine differ from other vaccines ? All vaccines approved by NPRA would be safe and efficacious . Based on peerreviewed of the second interim analysis Phase III results published by one of the world ’ s oldest and most respected medical journals , The Lancet , Sputnik V ’ s efficacy has been confirmed at 91.6 per cent . In addition to providing complete protection against severe cases of Covid-19 , Sputnik V is the world ’ s first registered vaccine based on a well-studied human adenoviral vector-based platform . The safety , efficacy and lack of adverse long-term effects of adenoviral vector-based vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades . The recombinant adenovirus types 26 and