UAE Long-established as the Middle East and Africa’s leading country in terms of rapid access to biomedical innovation, the UAE is looking to bolster this positioning in the coming years. Indeed, allowing innovation to flourish – including through hosting greater numbers of clinical trials in the country and protecting intellectual property…

Saudi Arabia While international pharma has long been present in Saudi Arabia, the ambitious goals outlined in the country’s Vision 2030 economic transformation plan have encouraged companies to reinforce their commitment to the Kingdom. In recent PharmaBoardroom interviews, Saudi pharma country managers reveal their priorities and concerns.   Saudi Arabia holds immense…

Africa Medicines for Africa’s Lenias Hwenda reflects on Moderna’s recent decision not to go ahead with plans for a vaccine manufacturing facility in Kenya, and why local production remains crucial to building Africa’s healthcare autonomy.   In a turn of events that is both disappointing yet somehow not surprising, Moderna recently…

Egypt The latest news from Egyptian healthcare and life sciences, including progress towards the launch of a massive new oncology hospital, why local manufacturer EIPICO is expanding into Kazakhstan, increased governmental investment in education and health, and lessons from the country’s successful battle against Hepatitis C.   Egypt gears up for…

Africa Nigeria has become the first country to roll out a new meningitis vaccine. The product, a shot able to protect against the five causes of meningococcal meningitis, was developed by the Serum Institute of India (SIIPL) and health equity non-profit PATH. With more meningitis vaccine-based projects in the pipeline, stakeholders…

Africa Medicines for Africa’s Lenias Hwenda argues that the success of the much-talked-about African Medicines Agency hinges on a critical mass of African national regulators achieving WHO Level 3 maturity status. While acknowledging the importance of international actors in making this happen, Hwenda argues that – if the African Medicines Agency…

UAE Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are increasingly investing in healthcare and the life sciences to reinforce their local industries and pursue the region’s economic diversification goals. Following the Saudi fund PIF’s launch of CDMO Lifera and Qatar’s QIA biotech investments, the UAE fund ADQ…

Saudi Arabia Halal pharmaceuticals, or medicines produced according to Islamic dietary laws, presented a global market worth some USD 100 billion in 2019, yet much of halal pharmaceuticals’ potential remains untapped. In conversation with PharmaBoardroom, Mazen M. Hassanain, co-founder and managing director of SaudiVax, a pioneer in halal vaccines, discusses the development…

Africa Writing in the February 2024 edition of the DIA Global Forum magazine, Verena Pfaffinger and Ilona Baraniak-Lang of PharmaLex examine how the drug shortages seen in the global south during and after the COVID-19 pandemic can best be overcome through the adoption of decentralised manufacturing.   The COVID-19 pandemic exposed…

Saudi Arabia As the GCC’s largest market, Saudi Arabia, with its growing population, strong healthcare infrastructure and government commitment to developing the economy beyond oil through its Vision 2030, is increasingly attractive for multinational pharma and local players alike. In 2024 government reforms will continue to encourage investment and local production while…

Turkey A roundup of the biggest pharma and healthcare stories from Turkey including the investigation of 19 pharma companies by the country’s competition watchdog; Gen Pharma Caucasus Manufacturing’s new plant in Azerbaijan; drug shortages resulting from a newly adopted currency-indexed medication supply system, and the surge in upper respiratory tract infections…

Morocco Morocco is currently implementing the most ambitious, far-reaching, and comprehensive health system reorganizations in its history. “What sets this reform apart from all that has happened before is just how starkly it differs in spirit from previous incremental and piecemeal initiatives that have been attempted over the decades,” proudly asserts…