His Excellency Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, Minister of State and Chairman of the Emirates Pharmaceutical Industries Council, led a delegation of senior executives on a visit to New Zealand, aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector, and exploring opportunities to develop partnerships and broaden the scope of cooperation and investment with a number of specialised entities and companies.
He affirmed that the United Arab Emirates has firmly established itself as an advanced regional hub for pharmaceutical industries and a strategic gateway to markets encompassing approximately 2.5 billion people across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, leveraging its advanced infrastructure, global logistics networks, and comprehensive economic agreements.
He held two meetings at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand with representatives of New Zealand companies Douglas Pharmaceuticals and AFT Pharmaceuticals, in the presence of Nicole Roberton, Director of Middle East and Africa at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with a number of officials from both sides.
Al Hajeri presented an overview of the UAE's pharmaceutical industry ecosystem, explaining that the country's significance extends beyond the size of its domestic market to its role as a regional hub for distribution, re-export, and the management of regional operations for global pharmaceutical companies. This is underpinned by an integrated system comprising advanced transport and logistics infrastructure, extensive air connectivity networks, and the pivotal role of UAE ports in supporting trade flows and supply chains across the region.
He noted that the UAE has concluded approximately 35 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) with numerous countries worldwide, providing competitive advantages for companies operating within the country and facilitating their products' access to international markets while enhancing their capacity for regional and global expansion.
Regarding the regulatory environment, he explained that the Emirates Pharmaceutical Industries Council adopts an approach supportive of investment and innovation by providing clarity and stability in pharmaceutical product pricing policies, giving investors a long-term outlook that enables them to make investment decisions with confidence.
He also highlighted the growing global investments in pharmaceutical research and development within the country, citing the expansion of several major global companies in their research and regional activities from the UAE as a hub serving surrounding markets, including Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
During his meeting with representatives of AFT Pharmaceuticals, Dr Hartley Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer of the company, presented its growth journey, noting that the company markets its products in 87 countries worldwide and that the UAE represents one of the company's important markets in the region.
Atkinson praised the UAE's regulatory environment, affirming that it is distinguished by clarity, transparency, and ease of procedures, which facilitates drug registration processes and enables global companies to expand in the market.
He also presented a number of research and development projects the company is working on, including the development of innovative treatments targeting unmet medical needs, projects for treating certain rare diseases, the development of an intravenous iron treatment with a higher safety profile that allows the full therapeutic dose to be administered in a single session, as well as a programme to develop medicines that can be stored and transported without the need for refrigeration.
In his meeting with Douglas Pharmaceuticals, company representatives presented their operations and specialised research, development, and manufacturing facilities, which export products to more than 55 markets worldwide, along with their advanced expertise in soft gelatin capsule manufacturing.
The meeting also addressed a research project to develop a treatment for treatment-resistant depression using an advanced extended-release pharmaceutical formulation that has successfully completed Phase 2 clinical trials, while the company continues to explore funding opportunities and strategic partnerships to complete subsequent development phases.