INDIA – Biotechnology giant, Biocon Limited has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Saudi Arabia-based pharmaceutical firm Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company to commercialize select specialty products in the Middle East region.

Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company is wholly owned by Astra Industrial Group, a leading pharmaceutical company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Tabuk Pharmaceuticals will hold the marketing authorization for select Biocon specialty products and will be responsible for registering, importing, and promoting them in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries under the terms of this agreement.

The biotechnology company said in a statement that as part of the out-licensing agreement with Tabuk, Biocon will develop and manufacture the products, while Tabuk will commercialize them.

The collaboration will pave the way for Biocon’s expansion into the MENA region, which will include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Iraq, in addition to Jordan and Lebanon.

This is another significant milestone for Biocon, demonstrating the company’s commitment to providing affordable medications to patients around the world by building a strong global portfolio of products, either directly or through strategic partnerships.

“As part of our role and mission at Tabuk Pharmaceuticals to deliver unique health solutions and enhance the well-being of people in Saudi Arabia and countries we operate in, our partnership with as distinguished and renowned a company as Biocon, comes in as an evident choice to further support our mission in line with Saudi Vision 2030, regarding localizing speciality and value-added pharmaceutical products,” Astra Industrial Group President Mohammed Alhagbani stated.

Partnership with RSSDI to enhance diabetes care

Still on the partnership front, last month Biocon Biologics Limited (BBL), a subsidiary of Biocon Ltd, partnered with the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) to launch BRIDGE-1, a comprehensive care program with the help of 400 physicians, to expand access to its insulins for children with Type 1 diabetes.

BRIDGE-1 is a Biocon and RSSDI initiative aimed at increasing diabetes knowledge and awareness among Type 1 diabetes patients in the country.

Biocon Biologics will collaborate with RSSDI to identify and train 400 physicians across the country, as well as provide a free supply of its insulins portfolio to over 1,000 children from underserved communities who have Type 1 diabetes.

RSSDI is Asia’s largest association of Diabetes Health Care Professionals and Researchers. It has over 10,000 members, including physicians, diabetologists, endocrinologists, and paramedics like nurses and dieticians.

India has one of the world’s largest populations of children and adolescents living with Type 1 diabetes, with an estimated 1 million children and adolescents affected as of 2019, and the number is growing every year.

Since 2009, patients in India have had access to Biocon Biologics’ biosimilar Insulin Glargine. Through its insulins portfolio, which includes Insulin Glargine and recombinant human insulin in various formulations, the company has served over 1 million people with diabetes in India.

Biocon Biologics, as a credible global insulins player, is advancing its mission of expanding affordable access to quality insulins for people with diabetes around the world.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of insulin discovery, Biocon Biologics observed Diabetes Awareness Month with a series of activities including: HCP Engagement via its digital i-connect platform and face-to-face interactions, a Diabetes Awareness Campaign on Social Media, Diabetes Detection Camps, and Walkathons with participating HCPs to raise diabetes awareness.

Liked this article? Sign up to receive our regular email newsletters, focused on Africa and World’s healthcare industry, directly into your inbox. SUBSCRIBE HERE