Neopharma, a leading global pharmaceutical company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) the global science-led healthcare company, have announced the launch of the first ever locally produced batch of medicines, as a result of their partnership to create localization and manufacturing opportunities in the UAE.

The partnership, announced in April 2019, established Neopharma as GSK’s third-party manufacturer for handling the secondary packaging process (the final manufacturing stage) for six of GSK’s most prescribed medicines in the UAE.

This first batch includes thirty-five thousand packages of medicine, which have been manufactured at Neopharma’s manufacturing plant in Abu Dhabi, with plans to have them readily available for UAE patients in a month.

The launch, which took place at Neopharma’s manufacturing site 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, Dr B.R. Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Neopharma, Mr. Binay Shetty, Vice Chairman & CEO of BRS Ventures, and Mr.Sameh Elfangary, General Manager for GSK in the Gulf.

His Excellency Mohamed Hamad Al Hameli, Undersecretary of the Department of Health said “Abu Dhabi has set out to become a pharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing hub within the MENA region, and this is another great step forward in achieving this aim. In doing so, the country will be better placed to meet the needs of patients through improved access to locally produced medicines.”

The UK Ambassador to the UAE, His Excellency Mr. Patrick Moody said “The launch is a fantastic example of what UK and UAE companies can achieve together. It is bringing jobs and expertise 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 support in making this happen. It is another step forward in our shared ambition to work together to be global leaders in healthcare and life sciences.”

Dr B.R. Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Neopharma, said: “It is wonderful to witness another landmark moment in our collaboration with GSK. We are delighted to partner with GSK to be able to provide local patients better access to medicines. By manufacturing the medicine locally, Neopharma has reinforced its commitment to maintaining global quality and manufacturing standards that are complying to stringent regulatory requirements. In innovation science we are focusing on debilitating metabolic diseases, and immuno oncology with over 200 scientists working at Neopharma Japan site. This enable us to deliver innovative and quality products in a timely manner at affordable prices worldwide.

Today Neopharma is proud to be a vertically integrated pharmaceutical company with 10 manufacturing plants spread across USA, Japan, Brazil and India. We manufacture Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Oral Finished Dosage Forms, Injectables, Beta Lactams and most of our facilities are approved by USFDA, European Union, ANVISA, PMDA Japan, GCC and other International regulatory authorities.

Sameh Elfangary, General Manager at GSK in the Gulf said “We are delighted to see the outcomes of our partnership with Neopharma already yielding results. As a result of this collaboration, the batch will reach UAE shelves two months earlier than planned. This is the most recent example of GSK’s commitment to ensuring a continuous supply of our high quality, safe, and reliable medicines for patients in the UAE to access.”