Partners GSK and Neopharma have produced the first batch of medicines at local Secondary Packaging stage

35,000 packages of the medicine were manufactured in three months, with plans to have them readily available on shelves for UAE patients in a month

The global science-led healthcare company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Neopharma, a leading global pharmaceutical agency located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have declared the launch of the first ever regionally produced batch of medicines, as an outcome of their partnership to create localisation and manufacturing possibilities in the UAE.

The partnership, announced in April 2019, set up Neopharma as GSKs third-party producer for dealing with the Secondary Packaging method (the last manufacturing stage) for six of GSKs most prescribed medicines in the UAE.

This first batch consists of 35 thousand packages of medicine, which have been manufactured at Neopharmas manufacturing plant in Abu Dhabi, with plans to have them easily available for UAE patients in a month.

The launch, which took place at Neopharmas manufacturing place in Abu Dhabi, was attended by His Excellency Mohamed Al Hameli, Undersecretary of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, His Excellency Patrick Moody, the British Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Sameh Elfangary, General Manager for GSK in the Gulf, Dr B.R. Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Neopharma, and Mr. Binay Shetty, Vice Chairman CEO of BRS Ventures.

His Excellency Mohamed Hamad Al Hameli stated Abu Dhabi has set out to emerge as a pharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing hub inside the MENA region, and this is some other notable step forward in attaining this aim. In doing so, the country will be better placed to meet the wants of patients via developed access to regionally produced medicines.

The UK Ambassador to the UAE, His Excellency Mr. Patrick Moody said The launch is a great example of what UK and UAE companies can reap together. It is bringing jobs and knowledge to the UAE, as well as better services for patients. I congratulate the Abu Dhabi Department of Health and the UK Department for International Trade for their aid in making this happen. It is another step ahead in our shared ambition to work together to be international leaders in healthcare and life sciences.

Sameh Elfangary, General Manager at GSK in the Gulf said We are delighted to see the results of our partnership with Neopharma already yielding results. As a result of this collaboration, the batch will attain UAE shelves two months before than planned. This is the most latest example of GSKs commitment to make sure a non-stop supply of our high quality, safe, and dependable medicines for patients in the UAE to access.

Dr B.R. Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Neopharma, also said It is extremely good to witness another landmark moment in our collaboration with GSK. We are delighted to associate with GSK to be able to supply local patients easy access to medicines. By manufacturing the medicine locally, Neopharma has strengthened its commitment to maintaining international high-quality and manufacturing standards that are complying to stringent regulatory requirements. In Innovation science we are focusing on debilitating metabolic diseases, immuno-oncology with over 200 scientists working at Neopharma Japan site. This allows us to supply creative and best products in a timely manner at low priced expenditures worldwide.

The launch of the regionally produced batch reaffirms the UAEs vision to turn out to be a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in the region.