Pharmaniaga Bhd announced on Friday that it will begin selling Sinovac COVID‑19 vaccine doses straight to state governments and private enterprises, creating a second distribution channel alongside the existing federal programme. The company disclosed the plan to investors, noting that its shares rose to RM5.54 during intraday trading before closing at RM5.34.
Under the current arrangement, Pharmasiaga supplies the federal government with 12 million doses of Sinovac, a contract that runs until July and is projected to protect roughly 18 percent of Malaysia’s population. The firm affirmed that this federal commitment will be fulfilled on schedule. Once the federal contract concludes, the manufacturer’s plant in Puchong will allocate its output between the ongoing public‑sector agreement and the newly authorised direct sales.
Group Managing Director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope said the Ministry of Health has approved the dual‑track approach, stressing that it will not jeopardise the existing federal supply. “We will ensure effective provision and distribution to the private market and state governments, and it will not disrupt our existing contractual obligation with the federal government,” Zulkarnain told the briefing.
The operational shift hinges on a pending variation request filed with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA). Pharmaniaga currently bottles two million doses each month; approval of the request would double that capacity to four million doses, providing the extra bandwidth needed for the parallel supply streams. Three states—Selangor, Sarawak and Penang—have already sought quotations for direct purchases.
All three are economically significant, with Selangor encircling the capital Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak and Penang having pressed for accelerated roll‑outs earlier in the pandemic. In the private arena, essential‑industry players such as glove manufacturers and oil‑and‑gas operators have expressed interest.
These firms require vaccinations for their workforce to maintain production at factories and offshore platforms. The introduction of a second channel marks a structural change in Malaysia’s vaccine logistics. While the federal government remains the primary purchaser, states with sufficient political will and budgetary resources can now move ahead of the national queue, and companies can secure doses directly without waiting for surplus supply.
If the NPRA grants the capacity increase, Pharmaniaga will be positioned to meet both federal and new direct‑buyer demands. Should the request be denied, the company must prioritise the federal contract, and state or corporate orders would have to wait for any leftover capacity, potentially delaying deliveries to Selangor, Sarawak, Penang and the interested firms.
Zulkarnain framed the initiative as a means to broaden coverage more quickly. The 12 million federal doses already represent 18 percent of the population; additional allocations to states and corporations would raise that share without extra cost to the central treasury. The market reacted positively to the announcement, with Pharmaniaga’s share price climbing during the session, reflecting investor confidence in the prospective revenue streams, expanded production capability and continued government endorsement. What follows now depends on regulatory approval and the level of demand from states and private entities.
The federal contract ends in July, after which the Puchong facility’s output will be available to the highest‑paying buyer—whether that remains Putrajaya, the state governments of Shah Alam, Kuching and George Town, or major private players such as Top Glove and Petronas.
