Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the measure, currently voluntary, is part of a broader shift towards proactive risk management.

Dzulkefly said industry players also have until April 15 to provide feedback on the availability of active pharmaceutical ingredients and packaging materials to enable early intervention before shortages affect healthcare facilities.

“We have moved away from reactive management to a system of proactive risk anticipation, with the six-month rule implemented through the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency,” Bernama reported him as saying today.

He said that as supply chain disruptions may persist even after the current crisis in the Middle East subsides, his ministry is maintaining a forward-looking strategy extending into the first quarter of 2027.

Dzulkefly also said Malaysia is strengthening buffer stocks through a tiered system, with one to three months’ supply at healthcare facilities, and an additional two-month buffer at the concessionaire level.

He said the nation is also diversifying import sources for medicines and medical devices to reduce reliance on any single market.

At the same time, the Medical Device Authority has also introduced rapid response mechanisms, including a special access pathway, for critical equipment during crises.