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NOVEMBER , 2022 | THE HEALTH
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Duopharma inks deal with SCM Lifescience
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DUOPHARMA Biotech Bhd will soon distribute a range of IRORO brand halal-certified anti-hair loss products in Malaysia .
Its wholly-owned subsidiary Duopharma Consumer Healthcare Sdn Bhd , recently signed a Product Distribution Agreement with South Korea-based stem cell technology company SCM Lifescience , Inc . IRORO is using stem cell technology as its active ingredient to create a halal range catering to the Malaysian market .
The product range to be distributed by Duopharma Consumer Healthcare comprises :
• IRORO Nutreatment Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo for Men
• IRORO Nutreatment Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo for Women
• IRORO Nutreatment Anti-Hair Loss Treatment
• IRORO Nutreatment Anti-Hair Loss Serum
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“ This agreement with SCM Lifescience enables Duopharma Consumer Healthcare to expand our entry into the cosmeceutical segment with the halal-certified IRORO range specially formulated for Malaysia .
“ Following Duopharma Biotech ’ s 2.73 per cent investment into SCM Lifescience , we are committed to optimising their findings – particularly in stem cell research , to elevate our consumer product offerings , enabling us to have a unique advantage in the market ,” said Duopharma Biotech Group Managing Director Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar .
“ We are also collaborating with SCM Lifescience to develop atopic dermatitis stem cell therapy . By introducing the IRORO range , we are laying the groundwork for this product segment ahead of a potential launch of products to treat atopic dermatitis .”
The stem cell used in IRORO will be
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able to promote hair growth as well as scalp improvement . The researchers found that after two weeks of use , research participants experienced an increase in scalp pore cleanliness and skin moisture levels , without any skin irritation observed , findings which were verified by a nationallycertified clinical institution in South Korea .
“ We are pleased to collaborate with Duopharma Consumer Healthcare in bringing the IRORO brand to Malaysia . Hair loss can have various factors including genetics , diet and environmental factors that can differ
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across markets , but we are confident in the efficacy of the IRORO range and excited to see the brand helping Malaysians overcome the impact of hair loss .
“ We foresee that this product range will be the first among other products made available to Malaysians through our R & D collaboration with Duopharma Consumer Healthcare ,” said SCM Lifescience CEO Dr Byong Kwan Son .
The IRORO product range will be available to consumers through e-commerce platforms in Malaysia in the first quarter of 2023 .
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Capturing food consumption data
MONASH University Malaysia , Monash University ’ s Action Lab and experts from the University of Cambridge ’ s MRC Epidemiology Unit are collaborating to help inform and enhance public health and nutrition policy in Malaysia .
Adapting Intake24 , an open-source online tool used for recording dietary intake information , the project intends to allow for a more accurate capture of dietary data and help to better inform public health policies in Malaysia .
Nutrition scientist and Project Lead Dr Amutha Ramadas from the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Monash University Malaysia said , the country is experiencing an increasing trend in diet-related non-communicable diseases such as obesity , cardiovascular and cardio-metabolic diseases . “ The development of effective interventions for these conditions requires us to understand the diet of a specific population ,” she added .
Intake24 is a technology-based alternative to capture food consumption data from participants . The web-based dietary recall tool includes a comprehensive food list which is linked to food composition data and food portion size images . The entire recording process takes around 20 minutes to complete , and the nutritional composition of the participant ’ s food consumption can be downloaded as soon as the data has been submitted .
Traditional ways of dietary data collection for research rely on pen and paper-based methods followed by interviewer-led surveys . These methods are resource intensive in terms of time , costs and burden on the participants .
The system was originally developed in the UK for Food Standards Scotland by Professor Patrick Olivier , Director of Monash University ’ s Action Lab and human-computer interaction expert , and nutrition researcher Dr Emma Foster from Monash University .
“ This project will develop Intake24 for use in Malaysia , including translation to Malay , Mandarin and Tamil , the addition of foods to the database to cover the diverse range of ingredients and dishes consumed in the region , food photographs for portion size estimation of regional foods and links to food composition data ,” Dr Foster said .
The researchers plan to develop Intake24 Malaysia by 2023 and capture participant data in Malaysia by 2024 .
Monash University Malaysia President and Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Matthew Nicholson said Intake24 Malaysia would collect data to improve public health through better surveillance and develop research measures and systems that compare the dietary intakes of Malaysians against the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines .
The UK Department of Health currently uses Intake24 in their National Diet and
Nutrition Survey and has been adapted and developed for several other countries including the United Arab Emirates , Portugal , Denmark , South Asia . In Australia , it will be used in the upcoming National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey in January 2023 .
Amidst elections , cases spike again
CARETAKER Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that Malaysia was facing a modest outbreak of Covid-19 infections , following an increase in reported cases . He said that mask use is now “ strongly advised ” even if it remains voluntary , given the current scenario .
During Oct 23-29 , the number of new infection cases climbed by 16.5 per cent to 16,917 from 14,255 the previous week . Khairy also stated at a recent media conference in Putrajaya that the number of hospital patients increased by 14.3 per cent per 100,000 people .
“ However , we discovered that the majority of patients admitted to government hospitals have modest symptoms . Not alarming symptoms , he added , adding that intensive care unit ( ICU ) bed utilisation had only increased by two per cent .
“ In other words , we are being faced with a small wave ,” he said , adding that the ministry is unsure if the wave will accelerate , and that minimising the spread of the virus depends on community initiatives . Nevertheless , the overall Covid-19 crisis remained under control despite the primary indications showing a surge .
“ This is what it means to live with Covid . We no longer have restrictions and mandates , but the Health Ministry must advise and make recommendations when we find that the infection trend has started to increase ,” he added .
Khairy stated that while it was determined that the Omicron variant drove the spike in new cases , the ministry suspected that the XBB sub-variant was the catalyst .
“ Bottomline , cases are rising slightly . Hospitalisations are rising slightly . Nothing to worry about , the situation is under control , but we must take precautions because we are transitioning to the endemicity phase .
“ Today is just a friendly reminder to Malaysians that yes , we are on an uptrend right now , let ’ s be careful ,” he said .
Khairy urged political parties and candidates to set a good example during the 15th General Election by adhering to SOPs in all their campaigning and walkabouts .
He said the Health Ministry had already conveyed its opinion and recommendations to the Election Commission ( EC ) regarding the Covid-19 SOPs on election day , and the EC will announce the specifics . Malaysians go to the polls on Nov 19 . – The Health