SAUDI ARABIA —French pharmaceutical company Sanofi has formed partnerships with Saudi drugmakers Arabio and Lifera, the latter being wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF.
This collaboration aims to strengthen vaccine production capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Under a newly established memorandum of understanding, the companies will explore various preventive initiatives, including utilizing Lifera as a contract manufacturer for Sanofi and constructing a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant incorporating the latest vaccine technology.
According to a press release issued by the partners, Sanofi will share its biotechnological expertise to initially manufacture seven vaccines included in Saudi Arabia’s mandatory immunization schedule.
Arabio, on the other hand, will leverage its local and regional distribution network to support the supply of vaccines and other biopharmaceutical products to the Saudi market.
This vaccine agreement aligns with Lifera’s broader objective of enhancing the national healthcare system and promoting growth in the biopharmaceutical sector in Riyadh as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative.
Fokion Sinis, the vaccines general manager for Sanofi Greater Gulf, expressed the company’s commitment to increasing vaccine accessibility and supporting Saudi Arabia’s goal of reducing its dependence on pharmaceutical imports.
Sinis stated, “As one of the leading global vaccines manufacturers and as a strategic partner to Saudi Arabia and an enabler of Vision 2030, Sanofi is committed to increasing vaccine accessibility and supporting Saudi Arabia’s goal to reduce its reliance on pharmaceutical imports.”
Sanofi already holds a significant presence in the region, with over 10 million individuals receiving the company’s vaccines annually.
In 2022, Sanofi supplied more than 6 million doses of its quadrivalent flu vaccine in the region, positioning itself as the leading pediatric, meningitis, and influenza vaccine provider across the Gulf.
Meanwhile, Lifera has positioned itself as a new pharmaceutical company with the aim of strengthening Saudi Arabia’s biopharmaceutical sector and enhancing national health resilience through the development of local manufacturing capabilities for vaccines, insulin, plasma therapeutics, and other biologics.
The company is also investing in genetic testing and precision medicine.
Sanofi’s collaboration with Saudi drugmakers follows a trend of multinational pharmaceutical companies expanding their presence in the Middle East.
In December, British pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca partnered with Abu Dhabi-based G42 Healthcare to bolster pharmaceutical production in the capital of the UAE.
This collaboration was in line with the UAE’s “Make it in the Emirates” initiative, aimed at attracting global investors and positioning the country as a global hub for future industries.
Additionally, manufacturing upstart National Resilience recently unveiled plans to establish a vaccine and therapeutics factory in the UAE, marking its first venture outside the U.S. and Canada since its inception in November 2020.
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