RIYADH — The 5th MENA Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Congress and Exhibition kicked off Wednesday at the Voco Hotel, Riyadh. The three-day congress with the theme “Improving Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Through Innovative Strategies and Knowledge” will discuss key innovations, challenges and opportunities in Saudi Arabia, and the MENA region in general.

Dr. Moureq Alotaibi, President of Saudi Pharmaceutical Society, and Dr. Faisal BinDail, Chairman of National Committee for Pharmaceutical Industries and the Scientific Committee Chairman of the Congress opened the congress which brought together 360 delegates from 13 countries and 155 local and international pharmaceutical companies including CEOs, plant managers, production managers, supply chain managers, quality assurance managers, regulators affairs managers, and engineers.

With Saudi Arabia being the most significant healthcare market in the region, and the Vision 2030 planning to move away from being a purely oil-based economy and planning to invest into major transformation of healthcare sector, the event will discuss topics including localization of pharmaceutical industry, Top Quartile pharmaceutical manufacturing in Saudi Vision 2030, API Local Manufacturing, and Regulatory standards for state of the art pharma manufacturers.

Speaking at the opening, Dr. Moureq Alotaibi, President of Saudi Pharmaceutical Society, said “the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society is delighted to support such a great activity aiming to spread knowledge and connect the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in the kingdom and the region to further support the kingdom Vision 2030 towards medication safety and security.”

Also speaking at the opening, Dr. Faisal Bin Dail, Chairman of Saudi National Committee for Pharmaceutical Industries and the Scientific Committee of the Congress, said “despite all challenges and obstacles facing local pharma industry, it has grown this year to reach 25% up from 20% the year before. This came as a result of joint efforts between all stakeholders in the Pharma industry both government and private sectors.”

He added that the MENA Pharma Manufacturing Congress is getting more attention year after year, especially with the focus on pharma industry locally and regionally.

Dr. Hatem Abuelizz, Vice President of Business Development, CAD Middle East Pharmaceutical Industries and Scientific Committee co-chairman, said “this is the site where all pharma manufacturers meet. We exchange thoughts, updates and understanding of the pharma market and regulations. I suggest this conference to everyone interested in growing his business because it is where science and business meet. I hope it continues yearly and grow with the participation of all MENA manufacturers to aid in growing the pharma market in the region.”

Besides, presentations from experts in the industry and specialized panel discussions, the pre-event workshop on Tuesday had sessions on “Challenges in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain and the Role of Manufacturing in Tackling Drug Shortage”, “Future of Branded Generics Manufacturing in the MENA Region: Transformational Change”, “Best Practices for QC & QA for Pharma Manufacturing”, “How, What and Why Regulatory Affairs for Pharma Industries?”.

The congress features an exhibition area for showcasing the newest pharma manufacturing equipment, materials used at various manufacturing stages, raw materials suppliers, regional manufacturers, contract manufacturers and more.

Organized by Maarefah Management, with support from the National Committee for Pharmaceutical Industries (NCPI) and Saudi Pharmaceutical Society (SPS), the event is sponsored by A.T. Kearney, Glatt, Emerson & Thomas Engineering. — SG