Tagged with MEA

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 The Al-Hikma Group has grown from humble beginnings to today stand as one of the Middle East’s premier pharmaceutical distributors under the watch of Founder and CEO Ali Farooq Abdulqader. Here, he describes the niches where the biggest opportunities for future expansion lie, what makes his company stand out to…

UAE Zeina Sfeir Lahoud of Biologix, a Dubai-based firm that represents international pharma companies by bringing innovative drugs to market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, highlights important recent developments for the company – including a groundbreaking “value management agreement” in the UAE – and her hopes for…

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,…

UAE Amr Seif outlines Astellas’ progress into becoming a focused oncology speciality player in the Middle East and Africa, in line with the company’s global Corporate Strategic Plan 2021 (CSP2021). He also touches on key market trends in MEA, including regulatory developments, the rise of private insurance, and the growing importance…

UAE 16-year Gilead veteran, Vítor Papão, recently left Europe to take on a new role within the company as general manager of the vast Middle East & Russia cluster. He discusses the particularities of the region, and the partnerships and initiatives Gilead is actively pursuing with local stakeholders.   We have…

UAE PhRMA MEA’s Samir Khalil highlights some of the key trends at play across the Middle East and Africa’s dynamic and fast-changing pharmaceutical ecosystem, including several wide-ranging national health transformation plans, the move towards health technology assessment (HTA), and the importance of maintaining robust intellectual property (IP) protection.   We can…

MEA Healthcare in the GCC continues to undergo major transformation with the introduction of government reforms, a shifting demographic and mandatory health insurance. These factors along with increased private sector participation and an ongoing infrastructure boom are poised to drive further growth in healthcare spending in the region – up to…

Africa The third and final piece in Lenias Hwenda of Medicines for Africa’s series looking back at the challenges and successes of HIV/AIDS treatments over the past 40 years and potential medical breakthroughs to come (read part one here and part two here). Here, Hwenda examines the persistent challenge of HIV/AIDS…

MENA Amira Younes of AbbVie UAE examines how the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for new ways of thinking about delivering regulatory effectiveness and efficiency in the region, and for flexibility from all stakeholders to ensure that therapies continue to reach patients in a timely manner.   Most countries in the…

Rare Diseases With February’s Rare Disease Day behind us, it can be easy to forget the impact of these diseases on individuals, their families and care givers, and our communities throughout the other 11 months of the year. But if we – in healthcare, in government and in academia – are to…

Saudi Arabia Under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, the country has been activating the private sector’s participation in its healthcare transformation, advancing the public-private partnership (PPP) model to step up the rollout of new and more efficient healthcare infrastructures. After issuing a string of EOIs, the Kingdom’s first hospital PPP project has…