Tagged with GCC

UAE MSD GCC’s Ashraf Mallak looks back on a “transformational” two years since his last PharmaBoardroom interview back in 2021, with the set up of a new regional office, a raft of new launches and expanded indications, and the landmark inclusion of its HPV vaccine on various national immunization programs. Mallak…

UAE Erstwhile general manager for the GCC countries at Japanese-headquartered rare disease specialist Kyowa Kirin, earlier this year Myriam Hakim was appointed as the firm’s regional nephrology franchise head for the entire EMEA region. Here, Hakim discusses some of the key challenges she navigated the GCC grouping through over the past…

UAE Ahmed Moustafa outlines the incredible development of the healthcare ecosystem in the UAE driven by a rapid ramping up of the country’s health infrastructure and a willingness on the part of the authorities to enter into partnerships with leading private sector players like Amgen. He also touches on the major…

UAE Mohamed Abu Shawish discusses some of the core challenges facing rare disease patients in the GCC region and how Kyowa Kirin is engaging in multi-stakeholder partnerships across the healthcare sector to help solve them.   It is important that if a patient is diagnosed, the treatment is always readily available,…

UAE Mohamed Ezz Eldin oversees Novartis operations in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. He outlines how the company’s strategy has evolved in the Gulf region following the spin-off of generics arm Sandoz and its now 100 percent focus on innovative medicines. Ezz Eldin also describes some of the key…

UAE Rodrigo Rodriguez, as area head for UMEA at Takeda, leads a vast and varied region that includes Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa and is characterised by what he calls “geographical and economic volatility,” with an extreme example being the conflict in Ukraine. He discusses the challenges presented by the…

UAE While patient advocacy is still less prevalent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) than in other parts of the world and there are no UAE patient organisations among the World Patients Alliance’s almost 400 members, the voice of patients in the UAE is becoming louder and beginning to get heard…

Global  Speaking as GM and head of the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region, Andrew Bird, who has since become Acino’s Interim Chief Executive Officer, discusses the Swiss company’s “being global but acting local” approach to emerging markets and outlines the importance of the META region, which accounts for 35 percent…

UAE Saleh Al Hashimi of the Dubai Health Insurance Corporation (DHIC) gives an overview of the evolution of mandatory health insurance in Dubai over the past decade, with the number of residents under universal health coverage expanding from 500,000 to 4.5 million. Al Hashimi also touches on how the Emirate’s move…

UAE MSD GCC’s new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH) aims to advance research into breast and lung cancer. The deal, signed at the BIO International Convention 2023, marks the continuation of a long-term collaboration between the two entities.   Present at the signing were…

Saudi Arabia The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has joined the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S), aimed at harmonising inspection procedures worldwide. Through PIC/S membership the SFDA looks to continue bolstering its capabilities and further its international collaboration efforts.   SFDA’s accession to PIC/S is one of the strategic projects of…

UAE Tarek Thaher of MS Pharma, a leading generics firm in the Middle East and Africa, describes the benefits of manufacturing localisation in the UAE, his excitement about the firm’s growth trajectory based on a host of upcoming product launches, and its moves into the biosimilars space.   All in all,…