Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday, 25 January 2022 – In conjunction with Roche’s 125th anniversary, Roche in Malaysia today organised their second session of the Life Talk series, entitled Personalised Healthcare (PHC) – Because every patient is unique and different. Roche Malaysia held its first Life Talk on Women’s Health last year in October 2021 which will be followed by Diversity & Inclusion later next month. These interactive panel sessions are designed to inspire and share knowledge on various health-related topics with external audiences.
Featured during the panel session were, Professor Dr. Pathmanathan Rajadurai, Senior Consultant Pathologist & Laboratory Director; Dr. Cheah Soon Keat, Clinical Oncologist, Dr. Saiful B. Kassim, Consultant Endocrinologist, and the session was moderated by Mr. Ahmad Azuar, CEO of Satu Creative Services Sdn Bhd.
In Malaysia, there is a growing healthcare demand. This increases costs and puts a strain on resources as a result of a growing nation with high prevalence of chronic conditions. Profound transformations are needed to meet healthcare demands and improve patient outcomes thus, a Personalised Healthcare approach may be the way forward for the nation in Malaysia.
This is in line when Roche launched the Personalized Healthcare Index for Asia- Pacific early last year and it was revealed that all health systems are on a trajectory towards delivering PHC, with some at the earliest stages while others are building the foundations or already making the transition. The Personalised Health Index is a unique, data-driven, online policy tool developed by the Futureproofing Healthcare Initiative, in collaboration with a group of independent healthcare experts, to help countries prioritise efforts, resources, and action to realise the potential of PHC in their respective countries.
Diagnostic testing is a part of the PHC journey that holds a lot of potential for chronic disease management. “Precision medicine is an approach for effective disease management that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment and lifestyles for each person and this is essential for many cancers, for example, biomarkers as detected by validated companion diagnostic solutions ensure effective and safe application of therapeutics,” said Prof. Pathmanathan.
Malaysia, currently developing the foundations for PHC, is in the process of formulating and implementing plans that aim to enable PHC. Advancing the national strategy or policy for personalised health or personalised medicine is a key imperative, and there is an opportunity to streamline the regulatory processes in the country. Malaysia also has a digital infrastructure and data collection capabilities to support limited aspects of personalised care.
Personalised cancer care is moving rapidly hand in hand with the evolving and rapid technological advancements. Clinicians have to work closely with one another in a multidisciplinary team - harnessing each other's abilities and experience to achieve the best possible outcome,” added Dr. Cheah.
“There have also been many advances in technology in this arena whereby remote real-time data sharing between patients with their Healthcare Professionals from multi-disciplinaries has helped us towards a holistic ecosystem to provide better care. Having all data in one place at one glance will help us to have quicker and more informed therapeutic decisions with our patients. Even with all these technologies at hand, we need to play our part by leading healthy lives as changing how you live your life will change how long you live ,” said Dr. Saiful.
“Every person is unique and in many ways, so are diseases. And now with the digital revolution in healthcare, we will be able to see what distinguishes each of us as individuals, and translate that into personalised and thus improved care for each and every person,” said Wong Sit Yin, Healthcare Access & Corporate Affairs Director of Roche (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
“As we celebrate our 125-year anniversary, it is not only a chance for us to honour Roche’s legacy, but it’s also the perfect moment to build even more integrated relationships with each other, as we believe a multi-stakeholder or “ecosystem” approach is essential to shape health systems. Our Life Talks series provides Roche with a vital chance to connect with external stakeholders to address local and global concerns and strategically move the needle forward to generate meaningful change for the next 125 years and beyond”, added Sit Yin.
A full replay of the Life Talk series can be viewed at [link] for free.
About Roche
Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, as well as growing capabilities in the area of data-driven medical insights help Roche deliver truly personalised healthcare. Roche is working with partners across the healthcare sector to provide the best care for each person.
Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. In recent years, Roche has invested in genomic profiling and real-world data partnerships and has become an industry-leading partner for medical insights.
Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the twelfth consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).
The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2020 employed more than 100,000 people worldwide. In 2020, Roche invested CHF 12.2 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 58.3 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit
Roche has been present in Malaysia since the 1950s, when the sales and distribution of products was managed by a third party distributor. Since then, Roche has established its operations to include Roche (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., the pharmaceutical business; Roche Diagnostics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., the diagnostics business and Roche Services (Asia Pacific) Sdn. Bhd. (also referred to as Roche Services & Solutions APAC). With a total staff strength of over 1,000, Roche has grown into one of the leading healthcare companies in Malaysia that provides holistic healthcare solutions to healthcare practitioners and patients. For more information, please visit
About Personalised Healthcare
Personalised Healthcare is a medical model that uses diagnostic tests and data to provide each patient with individually tailored prevention and treatment strategies. Apart from treating and preventing disease for individual patients, PHC is also about rethinking the healthcare system for future generations. It is expected to be more effective and efficient, as it is driven by patients and data, making it the more sustainable course for the health sector.
By adapting PHC, data and insights will recognise and quantify the challenges in patient care delivery. And, as the healthcare sector continues to improve at each level of care delivery, these data and insights can track the progress with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.
For more information, please visit
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Reference:
1. Global Cancer Observatory. Available at
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