Sanofi’s goal is to guarantee that patients access locally produced, high-quality insulin that will suit their requirements.
The Saudi National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO) signed an off-take contract with Sudair Pharma Company (SPC) and Sanofi, the global healthcare company, to localize the production of key insulin types in Saudi Arabia.
Since Saudi Arabia is working towards its Vision 2030 goal of having self-sufficient healthcare, they are localizing the manufacturing of essential pharmaceutical products.
Sanofi is taking a significant step by transferring its global expertise in insulin manufacture to the Kingdom. It will provide a more reliable supply of high-quality treatment for patients with diabetes.
According to Lama Saleh, General Manager for General Medicines for Sanofi KSA & Gulf, the diabetes prevalence level in Saudi Arabia is 18.7 percent (as per the IDF Atlas 10th edition, IDF T1D index report), which is one of the highest in the world. So, it should have a stable and reliable supply of insulin.
The Kingdom has a history of relying on imports for their medications. It is now moving towards producing locally, greatly improving national drug security and ensuring that thousands of patients have better access to life-saving treatment.
Lama Saleh emphasizes how crucial this strategic alliance is in enhancing healthcare resilience. Sanofi is extending its century-long expertise in diabetes treatment to Saudi Arabia through the partnership with Sudair Pharma and NUPCO. They will build a cutting-edge insulin production facility with SPC to manufacture, assemble, and package cutting-edge SoloStar insulin pens in the Kingdom.
The plant will be able to produce about 15 million insulin pens every year once it becomes fully operational. It would be enough to treat 500,000 patients throughout Saudi Arabia.
The production milestone will provide insulin to 70% of diabetic patients in the Kingdom, thereby reducing dependence on external supply chains and enhancing pharmaceutical security.
Lama Saleh stated that the project’s goal is to guarantee that patients access locally produced, high-quality insulin that will suit their requirements, not only manufacture them. The goal is to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system and ensure that necessary medications are always available in the future through technology transfer.
The Health Sector Transformation Program, a significant component of Vision 2030 that aims to make healthcare accessible to everyone, promote medical innovation, and strengthen national pharmaceutical capabilities, aligns with this project’s goal of transferring global expertise to locally producing insulin.
This program helps Saudi Arabia achieve its dream of becoming a regional center to produce biopharmaceuticals by building advanced and sophisticated manufacturing plants and investing in skilled local labour.
Saleh explains that the aim of Sanofi’s investment in Saudi Arabia is beyond attending to the patient’s urgent insulin needs. It aims to promote innovation in the Kingdom, transfer knowledge and learning, and develop local skills. The goal is to create a path for future generations of Saudi professionals by giving them the knowledge and skills to participate and lead in biopharmaceuticals and life sciences.
He added that insulin production is a daring step and a significant turning point in achieving national healthcare resiliency, and Saudi Arabia’s efforts to localize pharmaceutical production are gathering steam.
The Kingdom is taking a step to put its long-term healthcare sustainability plan into action by investing in local talent, increasing production capacity, and using modern technology.
It is a new era for Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system with high-quality locally produced medications that will improve everyone’s health, including diabetic patients, and benefit medical professionals and the general public.
It is worth mentioning that the Saudi National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO) has also signed an off-take contract with Nova Nordisk to produce three types of insulin in Saudi Arabia.