PETALING JAYA: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) is calling on local exporters to seize emerging opportunities in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, driven by the country’s expansion of its healthcare investments.
The agency said Malaysian products are strongly positioned to meet Brazil’s high-volume healthcare requirements, backed by global manufacturing standards and international quality certifications.
Matrade reported that Malaysian medical device exports to Brazil recorded a significant 66.1% growth, reaching RM109.1 million from January to June 2026, driven by strong market demand for high-quality medical consumables.
This export momentum aligns with a 4.9% rise in Brazil’s consumption of healthcare materials in the first quarter of 2026.
Matrade CEO Datuk Abu Bakar Yusof said the 66.1% growth in Malaysian medical device exports to Brazil demonstrates that domestic manufacturers are highly capable of meeting strict global standards.
“As Brazil navigates rising healthcare costs, there is a strategic opportunity for Malaysian companies, including MSMEs, to supply high-quality, competitively priced medical consumables to this massive market,“ he added.
While global multinationals focus heavily on capital machinery, Malaysian manufacturers excel in producing premium, high-volume medical consumables such as syringes, catheters and cannulas.
Furthermore, as prices for high-technology medical equipment in Brazil rise by 27.4%, local hospital networks are actively seeking to optimise operational spending.
Offering premium quality at competitive price points, Malaysian medical consumables comply with strict global benchmarks including US Food and Drug Administration approval, CE Marking and ISO 13485 certifications, making them highly attractive to Brazilian procurement officers managing tight budgets.
Recent engagements by Matrade Sao Paulo with major Brazilian healthcare players, including Descarpack, Magnamed, Fanem, Scitech and Instramed, confirm immediate commercial interest on the ground.
These distributors are actively working to diversify their supply chains and have identified Malaysia as a preferred partner for bulk consumables and original equipment manufacturer contract manufacturing.
In response, Matrade is facilitating direct business-to-business matching sessions to help Malaysian factories secure private-label agreements and build long-term business partnerships across Latin America.
The trade collaboration is further supported by strengthened bilateral ties following the historic participation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur. Commitments made during the summit advanced the Asean-Brazil Practical Cooperation Areas 2024–2028 and secured strategic technology agreements.
These diplomatic milestones are accelerating supply chain diversification and establishing a highly welcoming regulatory environment for Malaysian medical device exports entering the Brazilian market.
In May this year, Supermax Corporation Bhd announced that the group’s associate company Supermax Brasil Importadora S/A has set plans to establish a medical glove manufacturing facility in the sate of Parana, with a total investment commitment of about 250 million Brazilian real (about RM195 million).
Supermax said the investment is an important milestone in its long-term overseas growth strategy, reflecting its continued focus on expanding its presence in Latin America’s healthcare and industrial markets.
“The group believes that Brazil presents a compelling long-term growth opportunity due to its large and growing healthcare sector, increasing regional demand for medical and industrial gloves, strategic access to the Mercosur market, and ongoing government initiatives aimed at supporting local manufacturing and reducing import dependency,“ Supermax said.
According to a report, Brazil Pharmaceutical Industry Market Summary, published by Market Research Future, Brazil’s pharmaceutical industry market size was valued at US$33.70 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow from US$34.4 billion in 2025 to US$42.21 billion by 2035, registering a compound annual growth rate of 2.09% during the 2025-2035 forecast period.
The report said the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and the expansion of healthcare access are major growth drivers for the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry market.
Increasing demand for long-term therapies, improved healthcare infrastructure, and government support for pharmaceutical accessibility are accelerating market development across the country, it noted.
According to the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases account for about 74% of all deaths in Brazil, highlighting the substantial and growing demand for cardiovascular, diabetes, oncology, and other chronic disease medications throughout the country’s healthcare system.
Further, the report noted that Brazil’s pharmaceutical industry is experiencing a notable increase in healthcare expenditure, driven by both public and private sectors. In recent years, the Brazilian government has allocated a larger portion of its budget to healthcare, which has resulted in improved access to medications and treatments.
As of 2025, healthcare spending in Brazil reached about 9% of gross domestic product, reflecting a growing commitment to health services.
This trend is likely to continue, as the government aims to enhance the quality of healthcare and expand coverage. Consequently, the increased funding is expected to stimulate demand for pharmaceutical products, thereby propelling growth within the market.
