Morocco,

June 2020

Somewhat of a bastion of openness, predictability, and stability in a region often mired with turmoil, volatility, and economic nationalism, Morocco is increasingly attracting the attention of international investors across a range of industries. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the life sciences, where companies are taking note of the country’s strong business fundamentals, solid financial system, international-standard manufacturing, skilled human capital, and reputable legal framework.

Though not an enormous domestic pharma market at USD 1.6 billion, Morocco’s position at the crossroads between Europe and Africa is becoming ever more attracting as a base for international firms looking to locate pan-North African functionalities. Recent years have also seen big ticket investments in Moroccan production sites from the likes of Pfizer, Mylan, Sun Pharma, and Cipla. Moreover, domestic Moroccan companies are rapidly internationalising, bringing their products to markets across Africa and tying up partnerships with European counterparts.

The Moroccan authorities are also helping create a progressively more pharma-friendly environment with a push to broaden access to healthcare and harmonise regulatory, pricing, and reimbursement processes leading to shorter market access timeframes. Additionally, there have been no signs of the preference for locally manufactured drugs in public tenders seen in some other North African countries.

Challenges are nevertheless rife, as in all emerging markets, including serious distortions in access to healthcare among the Moroccan population. On a company level, it has become very difficult for generics firms to tun a profit in what is an extremely price-conscious market. New strategies and business models are, however, emerging, and the market is bracing itself for an incoming wave of consolidation.

Other topics covered in this comprehensive new report include oncology, women’s and children’s health, rare diseases, clinical trials, and much more.

Articles

Morocco: Becoming a Pharma Manufacturing Hub for Africa

Multinational pharmaceutical companies are increasingly seeing Morocco as a top manufacturing destination for the African continent. Firms from Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US are investing millions of dollars in bolstering and expanding their drug production facilities in the North African nation thanks to its strategic location, price-competitiveness, and comparatively developed infrastructure. Morocco’s strategic location…

Oncology in Morocco: Access Challenges & New Solutions

Morocco has made admirable progress in building a national oncology network in recent years, but the country’s cancer patients still face significant challenges in terms of accessing the latest therapies. Here, the Morocco heads of companies with global portfolios of innovative cancer treatments discuss the current situation and how they are working to ensure that…

Company Spotlight: Iberma

Iberma, one of the leading domestic pharma manufacturers in Morocco, has evolved significantly since its founding in 1994 to become the market leader in several therapeutic areas. The company also has an increasingly international footprint, with plans to capture new opportunities in Africa and Europe. Karim Lahlou, who took over the reins of Iberma…

Pharma Faces: Taher Hassen, Merck Morocco

Taher Hassen has been in position as GM for Morocco and Tunisia at Merck for four years, overseeing year-on-year double-digit growth for the affiliate ever since. His current priorities include facilitating greater access to innovation within Morocco and bringing Merck’s world-class technological know-how to the country. Merck has been present in Morocco for the…

Hot Topics in Moroccan Pharma

In 2020, PharmaBoardroom has met with stakeholders from across the Moroccan healthcare and life sciences industries. These interviewees range from general managers overseeing several countries in the region from a base in Morocco to association heads and key opinion leaders from the worlds of academia and policymaking. Several recurring themes emerged from these meetings, most…

New IQVIA Study Sparks Controversy in Moroccan Pharma

Ensuring the country’s “sanitary sovereignty” has long been a key policy for Morocco and its government. In order to encourage the local production of drugs, Law 17-04 was promulgated in 2006 requiring pharma companies to operate a manufacturing, control and storage site in order to apply for marketing authorization. For multinational companies, this law…