Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — A Saudi company MAS has joined hands with Argentine biotechnology company Biogenesis Bago to manufacture a vaccine for foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease and set up a specialized research center to support livestock.

The CEOs of the companies signed an agreement here on Monday in the presence of Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley and CEO of Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) Hisham bin Saad Aljadhey.

Under the partnership, the two parties will work to make the Kingdom the first Arab country in the Middle East to produce 200 million doses of FMD vaccine, and to preserve livestock, as FMD is a viral disease that threatens livestock and food security around the world.

Through sponsoring the agreement, the ministry aims to expand the manufacture of vaccines and medicines, train young Saudi competencies, transfer technology in this field, and make Saudi Arabia a hub for vaccine production in the Middle East.