The UAE, which imports about 80% of its pharmaceutical products, has been investing heavily in boosting its local manufacturing capabilities to reduce costs and ensure steady supplies.

The country plans to grow its pharmaceutical export market to about $297 million by 2025, up 15% from 2021.

Building on the Department of Health’s (DoH) ongoing efforts to lead Abu Dhabi’s healthcare ecosystem, AstraZeneca and G42 Healthcare have signed a strategic partnership agreement to manufacture drugs in Abu Dhabi.

The agreement focuses on four essential areas of collaboration: localizing innovative industries, research and development, innovation, and global sustainability. The partnership is the latest in a long line of collaborations with significant companies in the pharmaceutical sector.

In 2021, Sinopharm and G42 Healthcare partnered to set up a coronavirus vaccine factory in the Kizad Life Sciences Park in Abu Dhabi to produce up to 200 million Hayat-Vax doses annually.

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company also joined forces with Group 42 to set up a biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus in the UAE capital.

The recent agreement is aligned with the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology and the Make it in the Emirates initiative, both of which were launched by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology to boost the UAE’s business environment and position as an attractive destination for domestic and international industrial investors.

Currently, 11 pharmaceutical multinationals operate in the UAE, including Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Roche, Pfizer, GSK, and Sanofi.