The 1st Coordination Meeting for
the Manufacturers of the Pharmaceutical Industry in the GCC States & Yemen
Concludes its Sessions and Recommends:
Doha - Qatar
18 – 21 April 2011
Establishment of a GCC and Yemen Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Medical
Suppliers’ Union
 The
1st Coordination Meeting for the Manufacturers of the Pharmaceutical Industry in
the GCC States & Yemen held by Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting
(GOIC) on Monday morning, April 11th, 2011 at Doha Sheraton Hotel, under the
auspice of the Supreme Health Council in the State of Qatar, called for
establishment of a GCC and Yemen Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Medical
Suppliers’ Union. The recommendation intended to develop these industries,
protect the interests of producers, cooperation and coordination between
pharmaceutical manufacturers in the member states. It is also meant to develop
proper mechanisms to strengthen communication and continuous coordination and
consultation.
The meeting also recommended the unification of legislations on procedures
relating to registration of pharmaceutical products and inspection, approvals,
specifications and other issues among member states. It as well called for
setting up a specific time plan by the governments of these countries for
support of the existing pharmaceutical industries to enable them to fulfill
their adherence to the updated specifications and measurements when necessary.
The meeting recommended invitation of the industrial development banks and funds
in the GCC states and Yemen to set up easy financing programs in order to
promote pharmaceutical industries provided that these programs shall be
supported by the GCC member states.
Among the recommendations was also the call for focus on establishment of
national pharmaceuticals industries that depend on the international
pharmaceutical industries, which their protection validity was expired (generic)
according to the principles of World Trade Organization (WTO), support and
promotion of the setting up national industries for medical raw materials,
particularly the abundantly available chemicals in the region, also to set up
industries for filling and packing and medical supplies, setting up of a
specialized regional center to conduct studies on bio-equivalence of drugs in
coordination with pharmaceutical companies operating in the GCC and Yemen.
The meeting called the member states to exert efforts to establish joint
pharmaceutical industries in collaboration with the private sector, to work for
establishment of supplementary industries, which can make use of the outcomes of
the existing industries; to disseminate awareness about concepts related to
intellectual protection of the generic pharmaceutical industries, particularly
those related to the concepts of sovereignty and to build up databases on
patents on inventions provided so that they can be available to all.
The recommendations contained GOIC’s work on preparation of a multi- clients
study on the field of pharmaceutical industries, which shall contain preparation
of number of promising investment opportunities in this sector, while supporting
and promoting the efforts of the pharmaceutical industries for this purpose in
this region, establishment of a database on medical and pharmaceutical supplies
manufacturing and the health care in the GCC member states and Yemen, in
cooperation with the concerned governmental bodies in these countries as a
contribution to development of the health sector in these countries.
The 1st Coordination Meeting for the Manufacturers of Pharmaceutical Industries
in the GCC Sates and Yemen had started its meeting at nine O’clock, with large
participation by the manufacturers of the medical supplies in the region and
from all over the world, with the aim to found a platform for exchange of ideas
and for dialogue between the pharmaceutical supplies manufacturing companies in
the countries of the region and to converse the extent of the needs for conduct
of specialized, technical studies on the future and means of development of this
sector.
H.E. Mr. Abdul Aziz Hamad Al-Akeel, the Secretary General of GOIC addressed the
opening session and expressed his hope that the meeting will be a stimulant and
encouragement for cooperation and coordination between the manufacturers of
medicines in the region and a motivation for growth, an advancement for
pharmaceutical industry and an incentive to make further efforts to indigenize
the vital industries in the region, to realize an increase in replacement of the
products of the region in lieu of the imported one, in line with the strategic
goals of the region, which stress on importance of economic diversification and
focus on knowledge- based industries.
H.E. Mr. Akeel pointed out that despite the fact that the volume of the annual
market of the pharmaceutical drugs in the GCC states and Yemen is currently
estimated by US $6 billion, the industry is still witnessing a rapid
development, due to the continued improvements in the health care in the
countries of the region and due to the increase in the health awareness among
the citizens. Hence, it is anticipated that the volume of this market will reach
to US $ 10 billion by 2010, i.e. by rate of 6% of annual increase. Despite this
large growth in the size of the market, the volume of the local manufacturing of
pharmaceuticals doesn’t represent only a meager portion of the needs of the
local market. The region still imports around 90% of its needs of the
pharmaceuticals from abroad, despite the fact that there were 46 industrial
plants in the GCC courtiers and Yemen, engaged in manufacturing pharmaceuticals
and drugs during the year 2010. The total accumulated investments of the region
during the same year was around US $ 830 million and absorbed over 8, 000
labours. The opportunity still exists for development of this industry and for
its local expansion, so that in future it will be able to meet a substantial
part of the requirements of the region with the possibility of exporting them to
the neighbouring countries.
H.E. Mr. Akeel stressed that drugs have become a critical strategic important
commodity. They industry effectively contributes in ensuring man’s health in
addition to its huge economic importance. Therefore, GOIC sponsored this
important coordination meeting, the first of its kind in this sector. GOIC made
it a point to turn the event into a crucial industrial forum, whereat GOIC
gathered an elite of pharmaceutical industrialists, decision makers and those
concerned with the industry in the region, in order to address the current
status and future of this vital industry and then to present an idea of
establishing a Gulf Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in the GCC
states. Similarly GOIC is determined to prepare a multi-clients study for
creation of investment opportunities in the sector of the pharmaceutical
industry and the means of their promotion in the member states.
H.E. Dr Faleh Bin Mohamed Hussain Ali, Assistant Secretary General for Policies
Affairs in the Supreme Health Council in the State of Qatar stated in his
address that the state of Qatar has later launched a comprehensive health
strategy for six years, starting with effect from this year. The strategy will
cover 35 projects. The strategy comes in context of Qatar National Vision 2030
launched in October 2008 and as a part of the continued preparations that
followed the launch of the vision, in order to prepare for the First National
Development Strategy 2011-2016. All these constituted an incentive to march
forward towards drawing up of the Health National Strategy 2011-2016, which is
considered to be one of the 14 sectoral reformation strategies, that include the
national development strategy and focuses on building up strong partnerships
between the government and the private sector and the civil society. The
strategy pays special care to the private sector in provision of health care.
H.E. Dr. Falah said that the launch of the National Health Strategy in Qatar
proves the extent of adherence to adoption of a road map for realization of the
seven objectives, drawn up by the Supreme Health Council, to meet the community
health needs, because the health planning which “we aspire for is not confined
to prevention from diseases and to planning to ensure the needs and to the
development of financial and human infrastructure only, but it is a means to
foster efforts to transform the health institutions into modern research based
educational institutions that deal not only with pharmaceutics only, but that
seeks its development and manufacturing”.
He added that care for the health of the Gulf citizens necessarily entails
provision of the requirements of pharmaceutical supplies industry, particularly
because the local manufacturing is not capable to meet the increased demand. Our
country imports from abroad 95% of its pharmaceutical needs. He further stressed
that this matter should be viewed from different marketing and environmental
angles and from the perspective of the strategic objectives of the region, which
we hope that this coordination meeting will address them all through conduct of
research, investigation and clear-sighted vision.
The participants discussed four papers presented by Gulf Organization for
Industrial Consulting (GOIC), the Intercontinental Marketing Services (IMS)
Organization, Pittiglio, Robin, Todd & McGrath (BRTM) Company and by the Oman
Pharmaceutical Products Company.
GOIC's paper which was presented by Mr. Ahmed Hassan Dhaif, the Assistant
Secretary General, tackled the current trends and the future of the
pharmaceutical industry in the GCC states and Yemen. The paper discussed and
explored the status of pharmaceutical industries in the GCC states and Yemen in
terms of investments; manpower; imports/ exports; the share of the local
pharmaceutical industries; foreign tie ups and joint ventures in pharmaceutical
industries.
The paper presented by IMS Organization which relied on its experience and wide
expertise in the field of final market data resources, tackled the drug industry
in the Middle East and North Africa (MEANA) and provided a detailed analysis of
markets of the GCC states from the perspective of treatment, products, companies
and market activity. It also addressed crucial causes, such as medical
prescriptions vis-à-vis of the consumer products, multi-nationality vis-à-vis
competitors at the regional and local level, specialized distributors, and
vertically complementary companies.
The paper presented by BRTM company titled: "The Opportunities of the
Manufacturers of the Pharmaceuticals in the GCC and the MEANA region” pointed to
the increased international regional and local demand for generic drugs, as well
it pointed to the high rate of imports, to the increase in the expenditures on
health care in the GCC states and to the tremendous opportunities, which all
these factors open up for the manufacturers of medicine all over the world and
for the pharmaceutical companies in the GCC and MEANA region. There is a set of
possible operational examples of the pharmaceutical companies and the
distributors. The paper presented international regional and local facts and
explored, alternative examples for establishment of such business.
The paper presented by the Oman Pharmaceutical Products Company reviewed facts
and figures concerning the Omani chemical and pharmaceutical supplies, from the
perspective of the manufactured products by the company in relation to
production capacity, quality warranty and the exposure to market cooperation
with the research and development centers. The paper stressed on development of
the pharmaceutical supplies industry and on the increase in the supply and
demand which lead to expansion of the company.
The meeting then addressed the reference frame for a multi-clients study for
pharmaceutical supplies in the Gulf. The meeting conducted researches and
studied the crucial causes pertaining to cost impact and the competition among
multinational companies. It presented case studies conducted by IMS in this
region, discussed the suitable mechanisms to ensure continuity of dialogue,
promotion of cooperation between pharmaceuticals drugs producers in the region
and the future investors and the development of this crucial industry in the
region.
The meeting also reviewed the experience of the Jordanian Association of
Manufacturers of the Pharmaceutical Drugs. It tackled the history, the
development and the benefits the Association gained, in case of Jordan.
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