Pharmax Pharmaceuticals and Cipla Limited have established the UAE’s first state-of-the-art inhaler and nasal spray testing laboratory at Dubai Science Park to increase the availability of asthma medication in the local and regional markets.
The launch of the pMDI (pressurised metered-dose inhaler) centre is in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build a post-COVID-19 economy focused on sectors such as healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The cutting-edge centre will carry out sophisticated testing, providing the UAE and the wider region with access to locally-produced, high-quality medical products for respiratory diseases from Dubai Science Park – a hub for medical innovation that is home to over 350 companies and 3,600 professionals across the life sciences, energy and environmental sectors.
With respiratory diseases considered among the ‘big four’ health burdens in the UAE that have been exacerbated by the onset of COVID-19, the exclusive partnership is timely and relevant.
Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Managing Director of Dubai Science Park, said: “We are pleased to see our business partners Pharmax Pharmaceuticals and Cipla leverage the advanced infrastructure within our community to establish a world-class testing facility to develop affordable medication for respiratory diseases. The decision supports the vision of the UAE leadership to enhance the healthcare industry’s competitiveness and productivity through improving the quality of existing systems and deepening our expertise in areas such as pharmaceutical manufacturing. It will also elevate Dubai Science Park as a regional hub for medical innovation, and significantly increase our ability to attract talent and investment as we work together to build a sustainable post-COVID-19 economy.”
Nishant Saxena, CEO, International Business (Europe & Emerging Markets), Cipla, said: “We are pleased to collaborate with Pharmax Pharmaceuticals to reinforce the UAE’s respiratory health ecosystem and provide patients with access to best-in-class medication and medical equipment. This development emphasises our commitment to introducing first to market technology to the UAE. At Cipla, it is our constant endeavour to leverage our expertise in the respiratory and lung domain to serve unmet patient needs globally. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has highlighted the urgent need to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure, we will continue to explore multiple avenues through which we can improve the quality of respiratory care available in the UAE.”
For his part, Madhukar Tanna, CEO of Pharmax Pharmaceuticals, said: “Under the prevailing circumstances, a lab of this kind, accredited by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, will significantly expand the UAE’s capability and credibility to localise the manufacturing of high-quality affordable products for respiratory diseases. This has been made possible through our active synergies with Cipla and as a result of the Ministry’s pragmatic and enabling policies. I am pleased to share that we have also invested in a sterile testing facility that will oversee the formulation of respules to treat asthma and similar respiratory conditions. This will help both companies offer the most advanced treatment options to respiratory physicians and patients in the UAE and the wider region.”
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention awarded the fully equipped pMDI laboratory the Good Manufacturing Practice approval that enables both companies to commence testing immediately.
Under the agreement, Cipla will transfer its expertise in the respiratory disease space to Pharmax Pharmaceuticals. The companies will jointly work to launch respules that can be used to treat asthma and other respiratory diseases.
