The UAE tops the list of countries in the Middle East and Africa in terms of the number of innovative medicines with a new active substance and the speed of reviewing and approving regulatory filings for medicines.
This success reflects the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s strategy to strengthen the country’s leadership and competitiveness in the health and pharmaceutical sectors under the vision “We Are the Emirates 2031”, which constitutes a new vision and a national action plan through enabling the UAE to continue its development path for the next decade towards the next 50 years.
The Health Ministry has worked tirelessly to increase its efficiency in this field by reducing the time needed to review regulatory filings for innovative medicines and certifying 187 products with new active substances during the period of a new study conducted by IQVIA, a company specializing in healthcare systems.
This new study focused on comparing the standards for registering and providing innovative medicines that contain a new active substance, which includes marketing approval data for medicines from 2018 to the first quarter of 2021.
His Excellency Dr Amin Hussain Al-Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Health Regulation Sector, confirmed that this achievement is a testament to the UAE’s wise government’s firm commitment to ensuring the safety and efficacy of medicines available to members of society, as the UAE has invested in building an effective health system with international regulatory standards.
He explained that this helped simplify the process of launching new medicines to the market, noting that the shorter approval time for drug regulatory filings helped attract many pharmaceutical companies to the UAE.
Furthermore, he added that the process of approving drug regulatory filings in the country is accurate, comprehensive and effective, relying on modern technologies to ensure applications are reviewed and decisions are made in a timely manner.
In addition, he lauded the fruitful and constructive cooperation the ministry provides local and international pharmaceutical companies in the country, within the framework of its strategic partnership with these companies, the effects of which are reflected in the development of the pharmaceutical sector and the improvement of patients’ quality of life in the country.
Al Amiri further added that this achievement boosts the UAE’s position as a leading centre for health care and medicines in the region, and a regional and international platform for pharmaceutical companies looking to launch their products in the Middle East, stressing that it is necessary to maintain speed in drug registration procedures, to provide medicines for patients and support for the pharmaceutical industry.
