Abu Dhabi: The collaborative efforts spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Prevention have made it attractive for international pharmaceutical companies to come to the UAE.
This has led to a rise in the number of scientific offices of international pharmaceutical companies from 30 in 2013 to 47 in 2016, and is expected to reach 75 in 2020, Dr Ameen Hussain Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing at the ministry, said.
The number of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies (UAE factories) increased from 14 in 2014 to 18 in 2017 and is expected to reach 36 in 2020.
Dr Al Amiri was speaking at a workshop organised by the ministry and regulatory experts from the European Medicines Agency to share the latest advances in medicine manufacturing practices and quality standards.
Dr Al Amiri said, “The UAE is the first country in the Middle East and North Africa region to adopt an effective and rapid system for the registration of innovative drugs with the highest standards of quality.”
He said the ministry’s vision and strategy are always to be aligned with the latest international standards.
Dr Al Amiri pointed out that such workshops support the ministry’s main objective: to promote and protect public health through the adoption of innovative policies and promote efficient plans and build capabilities for optimum health care outcomes through sustainable systems.
